Unfinished - Original Maker Have Mercy
by comavampure
Summary: INCOMPLETE - Under revision
1. Washed Ashore

**DISCLAIMER** : This will serve as the entire story's disclaimer from this chapter on. I do not own Dragon Age, the games, books, comics, or any other media format Dragon Age has been published in. All credits go to Bioware and EA. I only own Original Characters, aka characters you do not recognize from the game. Some characters you may recognize but they were referred to by their title or name only, and some characters you may not recognized because they were referred to by name only and never seen. I am talking about characters you do not recognize both in description and name, those are the ones that are mine. So until further noted, Mercy is the only one that belongs to me.

 **NOTE:** This story starts off with shorter chapters but gets longer in length. As of 27 February 2015, it now includes all original chapters with no censoring or chapter cuts.

This is a Slow Build and Slow Burn story. The plot will take a long _long_ time to develop and will be spaced out with fluff and exploration of the more mundane aspects of the world of Thedas. The "Final" romance will take a long time to develop as well. This story will also feature singing and modern music, so if that isn't your thing here's a warning but I should note they will be spaced out so it isn't _too_ much.

* * *

"Don't swallow the ocean water." I remember that being said, somewhere. In some safety book or health class. I don't remember where. But it seemed important. Especially as I tried to float on the poor excuse for a flotation device that was my suitcase as the stormy waters pulled me under and I swam up to take a breath before it began again while I was sputtering out any bit of water because I remember that line from _somewhere_.

I knew I was dead the moment the waters dumped me overboard.

I don't remember how I got so far and separated. I didn't wonder too long because the waters probably drew me far away under the surface and the survivors sailed further and further away in the storm. This didn't mean I was going to just give up. I heard tales of just letting the flow pull you along and went it stilled to get up and breathe, so I did that. It was hard and many times my vision darkened and blurred because it was too long.

Yet now, I was tiring. My muscles ached, my throat was sore and raw from forcing all water out, and I was freezing despite being in Caribbean waters. But the stormy water wasn't as bad as when I got dragged out. It was calming. I could see the sky was beginning to lighten and in the distance I saw something. It looked like land with mountains in the distance. I was exhausted but survival pushed me.

 _Could be a mirage._

My legs were sluggishly moving, propelling me forward.

 _You could have swallowed some saltwater and not even know._

I was panting now and it didn't seem like I was even moving at first.

 _You could be dying._

I felt a wave pull me back, fresh tears coming to my eyes as my progress was erased.

 _You could be hallucinating._

I stopped paddling as exhaustion took over. My vision blackening as the wave picked up speed.

I remember feeling my feet hit rocky sand, my fingers clutching my luggage. My eyes peeled open and I saw the shore. The tide was coming in and my feet were gripping against the rocks and pushing forward. I pulled myself forward, crawling against the sharp sand.

I didn't stop until I hit grass where I promptly lay to dry off. It was relatively murky and low lighting and it was raining again.

Time passed and the sky lightened up. But the light rain didn't stop, not until I felt the chill and saw a single spot where the sun lit up.

Shivering I moved to it and lay in the sun. It warmed my skin and the bits of clothing that still clung to me. It was then that I let the exhaustion take me.

I woke up retching. Salty vomit flooded my mouth just as a bucket was presented to me. A hand rubbed soothing circles onto my back as my stomach emptied and settled for now. I sat back against the bed or cot pushed against the corner.

There sat in a chair was a man. He wore a simple tunic shirt with threadbare pants. His hair was very obviously ginger in the low light and he was saying something.

"Sorry... what?" The man smiled and pat my knee, which was bare. I sat in a simple white tunic that dwarfed me.

"You swallowed a lot of ocean water. It tends to make people sick." _So you were right about that._

"Thank you... for taking care of me." I rasped out while licking my lips. "Do you have water?"

He rose and walked toward a table in the small wooden cabin where a jug sat. Instincts told me I shouldn't drink it but the man clearly had no intent to harm me or else he would have let me die.

Gulping it down, I noticed the hearth and wooden shelves that housed food. The man watched me and took the cup from my hands when I was done.

"I've been caring for you since we found you this morning on the shore." _We?_ "Our leader decided to take you in as it is what Andraste would have done. And at the insistence of those under him, like myself. You were unwell." _Andraste?_

"I'm sorry... where am I?" Had I stumbled upon a reenactment? Was this a LARP community?

"We're on, what is referred to as, the Storm Coast along the Waking Sea." At my no doubt confused expression he paused and peered at me. He furrowed his brows and his blue grey eyes looked at me suspiciously. "Ferelden?"

The name was very familiar but...it couldn't be. "Thedas?" At the shake of my head he withdrew back and crossed his arms.

 _Could it?_


	2. It Could

The man left me alone in the cabin that I learned was where his leader slept and had given it to me to recover in. Leader to what, I didn't know. I had an idea especially if this was a LARP group. I was still recovering as it turns out, especially when I broke out into chills and he felt my forehead and told me to sleep. I had a fever apparently and didn't even know it. Typical.

I retched again, the water I drank coming out along with more and then I was dry heaving. Thankfully it was the last of it. But I slept fitfully. I rose and poured myself water that I downed slowly and then crawled onto the feather mattress and pulled over the thin blanket.

I don't know what I hoped when I woke up in the morning to the man shaking me awake saying the fever had broke but not the sound of metal clashing on metal.

"What is that noise?" The man, who I should really ask for his name looked to me as he placed a bowl of what looked like porridge in front of me. I frowned and wondered if I could get fruits with it but best to be polite. I began eating it and he flitted open the windows to let in more light and fresh air.

"It's the men, training. We are the Blades of Hessarian we are the best blades this side of the Frostbacks." This guy was good. He almost sounded like that was his duty, his life. LARPers these days were committed.

"I didn't ask before… but uh what's your name?" The man turned to me. His ginger hair was dull in the morning overcast light.

"Alon. I am the second in command to Emeric and it was my duty to care for you."

"It is nice to meet you, I'm Mercy and thank you again for the care. I think I would have died on the shore." I said and held out my hand. He took it slowly in his and shook it while smiling.

"Mercy…the maker has a sense of humor." His eyes seemed to brighten and a small chuckle came out before he moved out of the cabin leaving me alone.

"What?" The way he reacted it's like he never dropped character. I'd seen a lot of LARPers but this guy, top notch. He looked like he truly believed in the Maker.

Finishing my porridge I noted the bundle of clothes and the water bucket with soap he had left. A bucket. Did this place not have showers? Sighing I cleaned off and air dried quickly before slipping on…a dress. With it were a bra contraption of some sort that was too tight and some undergarments. I slipped them on and the brown and white dress. Next was the simple clogs.

Where was my carry on? I was sure I had it when I crawled to shore. I'll have to ask.

I walked out the door to a foggy and misty morning but I could see the area. The clashing of metal came from others sword fighting. From what I could tell they were practicing. Next to the door was Alon sharpening his own sword with a stone of some sort.

This roleplay was really authentic.

"Mercy. Emeric wishes to speak to you." He rose and the friendliness was gone, replaced by a civility and distance. He escorted me down the cabin toward where a throne sort of sat. It was a really fancy chair. By fancy I mean it was adorned in paints, furs and feathers. And it had two piles of hay where two large dogs sat. They looked like a mix between a pit bull and a newfoundland dog. They were big, ferocious and incredibly intimidating.

"They won't attack unless they consider you a threat. They would have the moment you walked out of my cabin." A gruff and rough voice said. I looked up to see a sandy blonde haired man with a beard to match. He was big, tall and bulky. At his back was a large sword. Greatsword worthy. It must have been for show but those dogs were real especially as one walked up to me.

Its muzzle got up close and personal as it sniffed me and then sat in front of me expectantly. "Uh…" I pet it and its woof jolted me back. Laughter filled the area and the man on the throne walked up to me.

"Come sit." He grabbed my arms and led me to sit right next to him, squished against the side of the throne and him.

I promptly and without further ado thanked him profusely. He smiled and nodded then gestured to the men and women around us, training. "Thank them. They are the ones who say the maker cast his light on you, showing them where you were."

"Yes but you let them."

"I have my own reasons for allowing it, Mercy." The way he pronounced my name was warning sign number one.

"What reasons would those be, Emeric." I visibly gulped and he merely chuckled.

"My men are often without entertainment. The nearest town is Crestwood. And you would have died were it not for us, either by water poison or by a bear or the dragon."

I laughed. "Dragon? Those don't exist." He looked at me with a frown and then pointed up. I followed his gaze and he told me to wait. "Dragons don't exist… they're fairy tale legends. Fake- oh fuck."

There flying in the sky, flapping its wings was a dragon circling around. I barely saw it because of the fog but the roar it made shook me. "I-I barely saw it…" A bolt of purple, yes purple lighting shot out from the dragon and lit up the sky. It hit somewhere close because the next thing I know I hear a roar and then the ground shook.

"The dragon likes to play after it's had its meal so it has been toying with this giant nearby. I can show you." Another roar sounded and then the dragon was flying off. Emeric's hands held my shoulders and pulled me close. "Have you never seen a dragon?"

"Th-thos-those sho-shouldn't exi-isst…" My teeth were shattering and Emeric was warm, very warm as he tucked me closer to his side and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

A Dragon…I'm really in Thedas. I could not be more fucked.


	3. The Giant & The Girl

I've come up with a nice theory. That dragon was an elaborate projection on the fog. It is the only explanation that makes sense. The lightning however, I cannot explain. Maybe some fancy light show or some really interesting CGI. The roar could have been prerecorded and made to reverb like it did. Yep. That is _exactly_ how it happened.

However, what LARP community has money for a light show but not a proper shower or even a _toilet_?! I haven't had to go in a hole in the ground since I was small and camping with the folks.

And don't get me started on the toilet paper, because there wasn't any! There was just a rag which I did not use. Either these guys blew out their money on the fancy light show or they are just really cheap.

Which brought up my next question once I got back to Emeric. Where the heck was my bag?

"Um… sir, sorry to interrupt. Did I wash ashore with a bag?" I asked tentatively to the leader. Better use proper honorifics as well. But I was interrupting him playing with those behemoth dogs. They looked exactly how I'd imagine Mabari would look. They did a good job on that front at least.

"Yes. Though we weren't able to open it, so we cut it." I restrained myself from slapping him. Instead I closed my eyes and counted to thirty really fast. Please for the love of God or Maker… tell me you weren't so into your character you threw it out?

"I'd like to get a few things from it."

"Certainly." His nod to one of the nearby people indicated something because they returned with my bag in their arms. I had to hold it with both hands but it was all there, if a bit damp. Clothes in my plastic space saver bag, toiletries in another bag even if a few bottles had been opened, and my makeup bag. My sketchbook! I hadn't thought I had grabbed it in time.

"Thank you." I turned around and walked back into the cabin. I quickly changed into my underwear, clothes, and shoes. Once dressed, I walked back out. The dress I had been wearing folded and on a chair outside, along with the under things.

Walking toward Emeric I approached him again. This time he was looking right at me. Or more appropriately at my cleavage. "Look… I really need to contact my family. I don't know where I am exactly so just tell me where the nearest city is and I'll hoof it." There I said it. Though by the way he was looking at me, he wasn't all too pleased.

"Where do you think we are, exactly?"

"Uhh… some backwoods LARP community?" The confusion was so strong.

"What is Lorp?" Emeric sat back against the throne his eyes boring into mine.

Oh fuck…these people actually believed. Was it possible to believe things from a video game and book series? Well book series I get, look at the bible. But video game? That's a little much. Unless these people were on some remote island and all they got was some literature from visiting English tradesmen in the last few years. I'm over thinking it.

"May I leave this encampment?"

"You may."

"I really need to-wait really?" Well… that was simpler than I thought.

"Yes. You are no prisoner. However… let me note that you are unarmed, in unfamiliar lands, based on what Alon has told me. If you believe you are prepared, then may leave." Emeric was a lot more reasonable than he looked. I turned from him with my bag and walked right out of the encampment.

It took less than ten minutes for me to get lost. _Ten minutes_. And on top of that, my stuff kept spilling out. I should have asked for a bag.

Another ten minutes left me knee deep in a stream wading through. I'd removed my boots and socks and stuffed them in the bag. Eventually the stream opened out and there was the shore. There was a longboat there too and some sacks and chests. Good, I can follow the shore and find a way home.

Thudding footsteps made me turn and there in the distance was a large tall giant. Its grey skin covered in furs and a large maul in its hand. It looked really good for a projection. The LARP community must have them everywhere.

I moved toward it. It looked to be walking away from the shore. Surely there needed to be more fog for this level of detail. I got closer. I could even smell its rancid stank. It was covered in dirt and who knows what else. How did they-I tripped over a rock and landed splayed on the ground. My bag and its contents everywhere. Huffing I began retrieving them when I felt the thudding stop.

I ducked in time to feel the air move as a rock was tossed my way. The giant was jumping and heading straight for me. Four things came to me then. One, it wasn't a projection. Two, this was real. And three, I was in Thedas. Four, screaming was the last thing I should have done but I did it anyway.

My bag forgotten I was running, dodging the slow moving creature as the loudest cry came from me. "AHHHHH… OH FUCK OH FUCK…" Dodge to the right and the giant leaped at me, if I went left he tried to swing his maul at me. There was no winning. So I turned around and looked the giant straight on. Could I pull a Hermione Granger?

"NO. STOP!"

I was not a clever witch who was sorted into Gryffindor. I was a girl who was transported to a fictional world some way and thought I could use things I'd read and seen in movies in order to save my life. Thankfully, people who have lived here for their entire life came to my rescue.

Alon's presence with three others distracted the Giant. Their blades out as they dodged, parried and wove around the beast. And I stood there, in awe as one of the blades pulled a staff and actual magic poured from it. Bursts of fire and ice interchangeably filled the air and halted the Giant's progress toward me. Long enough for Alon to gesture for me to run. Of which I should have done but…

I instead hastily grabbed my stuff and _then_ ran. I am not a smart person.


	4. The Arrangement

I was hiding. After I'd run for cover and hid behind a rather large rock that turned out to be a druffalo that I then had to run from for accidentally hitting it with my hair, my hair of all things, I climbed a tree.

"Mercy!" That was Alon calling my name as he and his companions came toward the tree. They hadn't slain the giant but rather left it alone once they forced it to one knee. I know because I saw it happen from my perch up this tree. When they were out of eyesight the giant simply got up and not being able to see them, ignored what could have very well been a meal.

"Mercy!?"

"Over here…" I called out, slowly lowering my legs to a lower branch. It snapped under my weight. My screech should have attracted every creature around instead there was just a chuckle.

"You have a talent for getting yourself into trouble, my lady." Arms wrapped around my legs and I was lowered to the ground slowly and safely. I couldn't look into his eyes. He must think me some silly damsel, always getting into trouble and needing to be saved.

"Thank you… again. I just…" I hesitated because I now had to think about this. I was in Thedas. A fictional world from the book series and game series Dragon Age. It's an insane thought really. Thedas is also incredibly dangerous. It could only be more dangerous if I was spawned during the fifth blight. "What year is it?"

Alon looked at me sharply. The others had already grabbed my bag and stuffed it into a sack. "9:40 Dragon." What happened in the year 40? Brows furrowing, I looked to the sky and checked the surrounding mountains for it. I didn't see the Breach, or any indication of a massive hole in the sky. Was it sealed already? Or has it yet to open. I just knew Inquisition would be started soon. In at least a year.

"What month?"

"Did you hit your head, my lady?" One of the companions asked as he helped me over a root. We were heading back to the encampment.

"No I just don't know a lot of what's happening in Southern Thedas right now. I'm not from around here."

"It is Harvestmere. Though it is almost Firstfall and Satinalia will begin shortly." Alon answered me. "But where are you from?"

Should I tell the truth? It'll come out eventually and keeping secrets was never my strong point. Chewing my lip, I entered the encampment that was really a stone's throw away from where I got lost. "I'm not from Thedas. I'm from elsewhere, if you'd believe me. If not then… I don't know what to tell you."

"You're not from Thedas, this side of the veil? Are you a demon?" There was a fierceness in his eyes and his hand went to his sword. It flexed over the pommel and Alon looked ready to attack even if he was hesitating just then.

"No… not a demon either… or a spirit just a human with a serious lack of appreciation for her life." I reassured him.

The suspicion was still there but not quite so much. "No. A demon would have defended itself. If you were a demon, you'd be the worse one in existence. Even shades and sloth demons defend themselves." His hand relaxed and he pointed me toward Emeric who had the largest and most smug grin I'd ever seen. "I was sent to retrieve you and bring you back if you proved you could not survive, which you did not."

A sinking feeling filled me but I moved toward the odd throne and stood in front of him. I fiddled with the torn edges of my sweater and the fabric of my soaked jeggings.

"Well. Lady Mercy. It seems you'll be staying with us. And I have a proposition for you." I did not like the sound of this. The way it seemed like he was gloating was just warning sign number two. "You may stay with us, unharmed and cared for, but you'll have to pull your own weight. Be that helping with the gardening, digging the latrines or any other task. Or you agree to entertain us. The nearest town is West Hill and its tavern is rather lacking."

"Entertain you? Like how? So like singing, dancing… telling stories?" I did not like the way he leaned forward, his eyes dark and gleaming. I also did not like the way his eyes roved over my body, lingering in certain spots. This was a warning sign, a big glaring, and flashing warning sign.

"Among other methods."

"No."

"If you fail to carry your own weight like my men, then it will have to be that method. Although you can entertain me privately and you would have nothing to worry or fear." He was standing and I was shocked still. I was suddenly very aware of some of the nearby men, how they looked at me with their eyes on my bottom or my bosom. They had the audacity to continuously leer. The only ones who didn't were the few women here and Alon.

"Well?"

"I will pull my own weight. I assure you, it won't come to that." His laughter boomed but he waved me off.


	5. Mira & Jany

It took less than an hour for me to know I would do poorly tending to the stables, especially as I ended up flat on my ass every time I got anywhere near one of the horses. And while swordplay looked fun, those swords were way too sharp and I knew, just _knew_ , I'd cut my arm off or something with one if left alone with it in my hands.

I was decent at gardening but nowhere near as great as the actual green thumbs here, Mira and Jany. I at least made friends with them and it took the entire afternoon for me to notice they were elves. It wasn't evident. I mean yeah their ears are quite pointy but you don't really look at a person's ears unless they do something to show them off. Like Mira did when she tucked her stray hairs back.

"You're an elf?" I asked, surprise completely evident in my voice. Mira tensed, almost expecting something negative then. "I've never met an elf before."

"Never?" Her dainty accent was sweet but also aggravating to me. Some letters were pronounced oddly, at least to me. Others had no problem understanding her. I guess it has to do with being an uncultured American, as some would say.

"Where I'm from, we don't have elves. I mean… we know of them but there aren't any around."

"Truly? No elves at all? Where on Thedas would that be?" Jany asked as he fertilized the soil I had turned over. It was a process of Mira planting the seed, I turned the soil over and Jany fertilized it. Jany was the gardener and Mira was the chef for the encampment. But from the way Jany hovered over Mira, it was more than a working relationship they had.

"Um… nowhere that's been mapped." I skimmed over that. No need for them to ask too many questions about where I am. "At least not by the Chantry."

"The Wilds then?" Jany asked as he washed up. "Plenty of Dalish clans, from what I hear have traveled that far. And there are the cases of the witches of the wilds."

I snorted. More like Witch of the Wilds, assuming Flemeth isn't already pulling strings to ensure Morrigan drinks from the Well. Mira and Jany were looking at me expectantly. "Sorry… just, witch of the wilds sounds like fanciful tales told to scare children."

"For the most part, they are. Stories told to misbehaving children. But they are based on fact. Have you never heard the tale of the Warden?" Jany asked. Heard of it? I played it, made the choices and controlled the battles. I couldn't say that though.

"The Warden?"

"You've never heard of the Hero of Ferelden?" Mira asked, her lips dropped into an O in shock when I shook my head. She waved over Jany and the two proceeded to tell me all about the Amell who built an army and slayed the Archdemon putting an end to the Fifth Blight in under a year after the betrayal of Loghain to King Cailan. How she placed the bastard child of once king Maric on the throne and went on to become the Warden Constable of Ferelden, restoring the Grey Wardens.

By the time they were done we had prepared the various plants, mushrooms, and herbs for that night's stew and I learned what happened with the Hero. Now to get the tale of the champion to know where this world was in that regard.

"How long has the rebellion been going on?" I tentatively asked Alon as he observed those training.

"Long enough we've received mages fleeing from the Templars into our ranks." He pointed toward on the companions earlier. "The Divine has called for a conclave to curb the fighting. It's been threatening and destroying villages. If it doesn't stop soon I fear it may spread…"

The conclave! I'd forgotten about it. That's where the leaders of the Mages and Templars will meet and the controlled Grey Wardens will aid Corphyeus in sacrificing Divine Justinia the fifth. I should warn someone, but who would believe me. But it's better than letting all those people die in the explosion. I have to tell but if no one shows up then the future Herald of Andraste won't have the anchor attached to them. Which means no one will be able to stop Corypheus. Thedas would truly be lost.

"Are you ill?" Alon's hand touched my forehead. "You left so quickly earlier I feared your fever would return. Perhaps you should rest." I didn't fight it. I was led to a rather large tent and he directed me to lay in a cot.

I lay there under the furs and thin blankets until the sun set and bathed the tent in darkness.


	6. Routine & Prayers

I wanted to develop a routine of chores, especially with the lingering consequences if I don't help out.

I woke up, helped prepare the morning porridge with Mira and Jany. Then I laundered the clothes at the local stream, the same one I waded through. The method Frail, a waifish man who carried a bow and quiver wherever he went, and a large man carrying two swords at his back named Brig used was they had these basins that they scrubbed the clothes in and then let it rinse in the stream with the current. At which point they squeezed as much of the water out by hand and then lay the clothes in front of the large fire in the center of the encampment. It was a long drawn out process that took a few hours in the morning and left my arms feeling like noodles.

I missed home and its conveniences. Having to lug your laundry bag to the laundromat down the street had never seemed like a convenience at the time but having to do your laundry completely by hand like this sure put it in a better light. My fingers were also raw because it was cold and by the time I was done helping I was shivering. The clothes I was wearing were thin and not suitable for the approaching cold months, especially in a region named for its consistent overcast weather.

Back at the encampment I was given a chunk of bread with a slab of dry meat in it. This was lunch, apparently. Did I complain? Not out loud at least. I ate the food and promptly looked around for something to do, only then noticing how the blades were all sitting in silence. Some were crowded around a book here and there reading to themselves.

Approaching Alon, who was knelt on the ground murmuring what looked to be prayers, I knelt on my knees next to him. The silence was calming especially with the crackling of the fire.

I could hear the turning of pages as I focused on the silence. I could even hear Alon's breathes between each chant.

"At Shartan's word the sky grew black with arrows, at Our Lady's, ten thousand swords…"

I'd always been an imaginative person. I could picture accounts with just the words, creating a mental movie for me to enjoy. But what I was seeing at Alon's words was the actual battle between Andraste and Tevinter. Hordes of Alamari people banded together against the magisters. Swords and arrows filled the night as a woman in shining armor raised her sword and called for battle. At her side was an elven male who cried in rejoice as the magisters were fought back and celebrations were had as thousands of slaves proclaimed they were now free.

And then I saw Maferath, in his jealousy turn to the magisters and betrayed Andraste. I saw the magisters pull and drag Andraste into a pit, immolating her. Her pain, her suffering were so vivid in the flames I felt the smoke in my lungs, the burns on my flesh and then mercy was had as Hessarian slay Andraste to end her suffering.

Then I opened my eyes. I was soaked and my knees hurt from kneeling for so long. I was alone but I distinctly recalled Alon's words. I got up shakily. The encampment was empty. The fire was still and the rain was stationary in the air. The paintings on the walls were far more vibrant than I remember. Everything looked the same but something was off.

Silence ticked and then I moved forward. It all became fuzzy and green. Something was wrong here. I couldn't figure it out.

"Those who had been slaves were now free."

I was kneeling again next to Alon. I was dry and staring at a candle Alon had lit. "What just happened?" I whispered.

The ginger looked to me and smiled. "You fell asleep in the middle of the Canticle of Shartan."

"I was asleep? But how… I was…" Had that been the Fade? I hadn't experienced the fade last night or the night before. Was it because I was legitimately sick and exhausted.

"I know the Chantry forbade the study of that particular canticle but it is best not to ignore history. Shartan was an elf and stood beside Andraste. We shouldn't forget it happened no matter the political history between humans and elves. Unfortunately very few see that." Alon was looking into a large book that I tried to read from. "We shouldn't disrespect the history."

I had a suspicion that Alon would get along well with Solas when they meet, if they meet.

"Come. We have much to do and our hour of prayer is up." Alon rose and helped me up. He went off to go hunt and I stayed behind. Emeric was nowhere to be found, so thank goodness for small miracles. However, Mira and Jany weren't there as they had gone off to hunt as well.

There was little to be done aside from sword fighting or praying as it turned out, so I had free time. I found my sketchbook and pencils and began sketching. Back home I'd been an artist, if you can call freelance logo designer an artist. While I barely made enough to eat, it left me large gaps of time for me to paint what I actually wanted.

I'd sit in my dingy little apartment, sketching out ideas and occasionally painting them. If I liked them, then I tried to sell them. Sometimes they sold, if the subject had enough cleavage that is. Most times though, the finished artwork sat in my room while I played video games because it was too expensive to go out to a bar to drink.

Staring at the white page I began sketching. I drew everything I had seen so far. The Dragon flying in the sky, as it did that morning, to the terrifying giant jumping at me yesterday. I began a base sketch of Alon while he was praying when a hand landed on my shoulder. It was Emeric.

"Come." He gestured to his cabin and disappeared into it.

 _Shit_.


	7. Little Star

Shit on a candlestick, I wasn't doing anything worthwhile when he found me. Could I stay out here and not go in there? Avoid him? Could I run?

Based on my stellar attempt of walking out with their permission and getting lost not even 500 feet of the encampment, I'd say they'd find me pretty easily. Not to mention the beasts and creatures out there would either eat me or seriously injure me, then I would really be forced to 'entertain.'

"Lady Mercy." His voice called out and I clutched my sketchbook and pencils close as I made my way into the cabin. He closed the door and dropped a sack on the table. "Your attire is insufficient to the oncoming season. And I have seen your other garments and know you have nothing more appropriate. So I have purchased from our local trader some garments for you to keep warm while you earn your keep."

Now I felt like a colossal-

"In exchange, you shall please me."

And there it is.

"Uh… please you?" The man sat at the table and gestured I do the same. Warning bells were going off, but Alon wasn't here to save me. Actually would he even save me, from his own leader? Gulping, I sat down trying to keep the sack between us. Emeric saw through it and slid it to the floor. He leaned over and held his hand out.

Placing my sketchbook down I extended my hand. He took it and gave me a heated stare that I was sure meant to convey lust but produced a shiver down my spine.

"You must know you are a beautiful woman." Average. I have average looks, there are elves in your employment or cult that are far prettier than I, mister. Stop looking at me when you have way better options around you. "And I can tell, you are not suited to labor." Not exactly false, especially as his fingers traced over my palm, my smooth palm which was a contrast to his highly calloused strong and slightly veiny hands. They were calloused not just from handling his greatsword handling – _pfft_ – but also from manual labor. "Spend your nights in my bed, and you will be taken care of so long as you remain here."

"And become a prostitute in the process? No, thank you." I yanked my hand back and made to get up but he gripped my arm tightly.

"Repayment is required of this." His grip tightened and he was pulling me toward him. I struggled, of course I did. I smacked his arm, as if that would do anything.

"Let me go. I'll sing if you want repayment."

"Oh? And now you wish to sing. I hardly think you serenading me with a chant of light or Andraste's Mabari would cover it." He was smirking and just so smug. I wanted to throw it in his face that I knew far more songs than he could even imagine.

"What about a song you've never heard before?" That made him pause and consider.

"You're a minstrel now? I suppose if you could present one, I would consider it as repayment for one garment." He let go of me and I stepped toward the door. "Sing to me now, then."

"What? Now?" On the spot, no song came to mind. I mean none. I could have named a few but the lyrics? They all fled my mind at my urgency. Isn't that just classic? Like when you're sitting at an exam and you know the answers, you studied for weeks and the moment you sit down everything is just gone. That was me.

"I want to know you can back up your words." His arms crossed and he was leaning against the chair. He was self-satisfied at thinking he caught me in a lie.

So I sang to him. I sang 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' because that was the only song left. A nursery rhyme so ingrained in my memory I'm sure if I suffered a concussion i would still be able to recite it back. A nursery rhyme that any three year old back home could recite and they'd do it better and cuter than I just did. I was sure my voice had cracked and that I had stumbled over the words in the stress of the moment. Yet Emeric sat there and he listened to it, deeply. His whole attention was on me. I have never had that much attention on me before, not directly.

When I was done he nodded his head slowly. "Never heard that one. It was…acceptable. " He reached into the sack by his feet and pulled a dark brown hunter's jacket out. "I look forward to your singing at supper."

Grabbing my sketchbook and newly acquired jacket I hightailed it out and retreated to Alon's tent.

"What did you get yourself into now…"


	8. Rubble or Our Sins

Taptaptaptaptaptap

I was tapping my pencil rapidly against the metal binding of my sketchbook. I had to think of a song, any song really. Emeric was expecting me to sing while they ate, it was the deal.

I had lit a lantern in the tent to give me light while I sat on the cot to write. Let me tell you, learning how to use a flint and steel the first time is not fun. Lots of accidental brushing and striking against my fingers and palms. But it was lit and it was providing a bit more warmth with the scout jacket I wore. It was a nice jacket made of leather. I don't know what kind but if I had to guess, either canine or ram leather.

I could sing another nursery rhyme but I had a sinking feeling Emeric would want something more substantial. The few songs I remember being sung in the tavern from the game were small short songs with a lot of repeatable chorus. I'd have to pick something that wouldn't be too out there, as much as I wanted to blow their minds with a shoddy rendition of _Shake It Off_ , I knew I had to be conscious.

You never know how filled with music your life is until it's taken away. There's music in the shows you watch. You play tunes while working, reading, or jogging. Your alarm goes off and there's the radio, or well it is for me. Your phone goes off and there's a beep to a tune. There is elevator music, hold music, little tunes to let you know when an announcement is going to be made in the grocery store. Music surrounds us on Earth.

So when it's gone, there is this void. When it's gone you crave it and miss it. I had missed it, which is why I wasn't completely opposed to singing. I just don't do too well singing in front of others. In the shower, I am the best damn singer on earth, but in front of people? No. My voice cracks, I forget lyrics, and I don't lift my voice high enough for them to hear and I get nervous. So what if I have a little stage fright, it's normal.

The sun had set and the only light was what filtered in from the fire and lanterns. I could hear them gathering for supper. So I walked out there. Last night I had skipped supper but today I could smell a hearty stew. It was made in a large pot in the fire where everything was thrown in together.

You know I distinctly recall a certain Warden turned King saying Fereldans took their ingredients and threw them in the largest pot they could find and cooked them until everything was a uniform grey color, completely unappetizing and bland. This stew did not look uniform grey nor unappetizing or bland. It was a meaty brown and red and had beans as well as chunks of potatoes. Perhaps Alistair _was_ having Leliana on about that.

Either way, I ate the stew and drank ale. Ale is a lot like if a can of beer was emptied into a barrel and the rest was filled with water and served as is. Essentially it was really watered down alcohol that was more like a juice for me. I was trying to ingest slowly but I could see Emeric turning to look at me every now and then, or was I imagining it?

About halfway through my plate, Alon and five others came into the encampment. There was a tense look between Alon and Emeric and the two left into one of the tents.

"Lo' lass," A deep voice to my left said. I turned to see a rather robust man with the most impressive beard I had ever seen. It was russet brown with varying sizes of braids and a piece of bone tied at the end of it. "Name's Bob, I hear ye the new recruit." His hand was on my shoulder and he leaned forward. Bob was one of the men that walked in with Alon.

"Er yeah…" He looked completely drunk, his cheeks were rosy and I saw he was gesturing for his goblet to be refilled already. He just sat down! How fast can he even drink?

"I also hear, Emeric's taken a shine ta'ya,"

"A bit, why." This was weird.

"Curious, never took 'im for a blonde man. Last lass he took to his bed was…" The man grumbled softly to himself for a bit. I was left leaning toward him after a minute to see if he remembered he was talking to me. "Brunette and pretty that she was." His eyes widened as he looked at me. Leaning uncomfortably close again. "Yer not too bad, bit tall for my taste."

"Okay…thank you… I think?" I figured the conversation was over after that and was going back to my drink when a loud burp sounded from my right.

"Don't mind Bob, he's a drunk. Never without a flask of ale. Just came back from our South Camp." It was the mage that iced the Giant that nearly crushed me. Human, as far as I could tell but the shape of her eyes were slightly elfish. "I'm Alise." She was quite pretty with her ginger red hair and big bright golden amber eyes. She wore the typical brown trousers, a darker brown suede robe with a blue sash around the middle.

"Mercy. Thank you for the …"

"No trouble, you're lucky you weren't hit, else we'd have already had this discussion in my tent."

"Why in your tent?"

"I'm the only mage at this camp, so o'course healer." That made sense and it was very good to know if I ever get injured or something. Alise took a moment to drain her goblet and had another poured. "You don't seem all that bothered by magic…it's weird. You're weird too."

"I'm sorry? I don't know how to change that."

"No no… not like that. Just… your clothes, they're weird, and the way you talk, as though you got some sap stuck in there." She pointed to my throat and I understood.

"Oh, yeah my accent is a bit funny, so people tell me. It's what I was raised aro-"

"So whats yer weapon?" Bob interrupted me and was leaning on me, his arm around my shoulder and face pressed to my cheek. Alise had the gall to burst into laughter, her body shaking and hand slamming the table.

"My what?"

"He means, which weapon you fight with. I'm quite curious as well, as we should get you outfitted soon." Alon peeled Bob off me and sat between us.

"Bet she can't lift a sword to save her life… look at her arms, so thin. No muscles at all." It was shouted from across the fire at another table. Frail was looking smug sitting next to Brig who smirked at me.

"Oh… I… I don't know how to fight with weapons." Aside from a gun, but I don't have a gun here and I'm probably not getting one soon.

The silence that spread through the table and the others as they all looked to me with a variety of emotions. Emeric moved into my field of vision and gave me a smirk, one eyebrow raised.

"We'll have to teach her." He said and sat at his table, eating the rest of his own stew. Conversation picked up and Alon gave me a reassuring smile.

"What weapon would you want to learn anyway? Not to offend but you aren't quite stealthy. We were able to track you easily." Alon questioned as he drank.

I wasn't sure I wanted to learn how to fight. Those creatures out there were massive, powerful and incredibly terrifying. And I hadn't even seen a giant spider but I knew they were out there. Just knowing that gave me shivers. But I couldn't very well stay here in the camp, behind the flimsy wooden walls and hope that I'd stay safe. Plus there was the matter of the looming Breach threat that would spread rifts all over Fereldan and Orlais and spill hordes of demons. I'd mostly likely would be caught alone, unarmed, and completely vulnerable to bandits, Venatori and demons. Not to mention the Darkspawn that I knew would appear on the coast.

I really didn't have a choice in the matter with those reasons.

"I don't know what I'm good at." I muttered.

"You'll just have to try your hand at them all. "

"I can teach ya how to shield proper," Bob said and downed his goblet and slamming it down burping.

"Bob couldn't teach ya to shield proper, he wears the most armor out of all of us and can barely move…" Someone stated and laughter spilled around us. I couldn't help myself and laugh as well. These people were not what I imagined. I remembered them being described as religious and in one instance referred to as cult. This was anything but cult like.

"Settle down." Emeric said as he stood tapping his goblet against another calling attention to him. "Now, Lady Mercy has decided to delight us with a song."

The happy light and laughter filled feeling fell away as I remembered I had agreed to sing. The chosen song disappearing from my head as easy as me turning nauseous. There were about twenty three people here, a whole crowd of people to watch me as I flounder my way through my song.

"Lady Mercy…" Emeric bowed his head and gestured to the center where the fire was. Did he expect me to stand there and sing? Right in front of everyone? Couldn't I just do it here while sitting and being able to hide.

Alon nudged me and I rose slowly. People were still chatting softly but the moment I stood, they all focused on me. I watched as Bob continued to drink and Alise whispering to a dwarf next to her. I moved slowly toward the center when Emeric gestured for me to go to him. I realized Emeric wanted me to sing where the gap in the tables were, so everyone could see me. _Dick_.

"Uh…" I turned around and faced the group. Licking my lips I caught Alon's eyes and he made a gesture with his hands over his eyes.

Of course! I could close my eyes. When I did, I felt slightly better but I knew they were there. But a new song came to mind. Originally I was going to do a Beatles song, because who wouldn't love the Beatles even in this alternate world.

"I was left to my own devices…" I started off but was cut off.

"A little louder dear, can't hear you over here." I peeked and saw a rather portly man who sat next to Jany playing cards. I nodded and began again.

"I was left to my own devices./ Many days fell away with nothing to show…" I paused then and now with my eyes open I could tell they weren't used to the style. Those that hadn't been paying attention, were now. All twenty three sets of eyes were focused on me.

"And the walls kept tumbling down/ In the city that we love/ Great clouds roll over the hills/ Bringing darkness from above." I took a leap and paused for effect and smiled. I looked down to take a breath before continuing.

"But if you close your eyes,/Does it almost feel like/Nothing's changed at all?/ And if you close your eyes,/Does it almost feel like/You've been here before?" Pause, breathe, and wait. I skipped the next two lines in the song, not because I thought they were useless but I wasn't sure it'd fit with the way I was presenting the song.

"We were caught up and lost in all of our vices/In your pose as the dust settled around us." Then I went into the chorus, slightly louder and more enthusiastically. I was twirling my fingers along to the music in my head but tried to keep it smoother, gentler. I decided to end it on this next verse. "Oh where do we begin?/The rubble or our sins? Oh oh where do we begin?/ The rubble or our sins?" I drew out the final word and let out a huff of breath just as an applause and some whistling sounded.

"Now that… was a song worthy of more drinks." Emeric said next to me. I smiled despite the fact he'd essentially forced me into this.

* * *

Song: Pompeii by Bastille


	9. Purpose

I was laying in the grass and the sun was on my skin. I could feel I was warming everywhere. There was a light breeze and when I opened my eyes I had to shield them from the sun. There was the tinkling of a wind chime and the clouds blocked the sun briefly allowing me to see nothing but trees surrounding me.

"Had a good nap?" I turned to see Alon leaning against a tree, the sun highlighting his hair beautifully. He was clean shaven with just side burns longer than I remember and in his hands was my sketchbook.

"Yeah… where are we?" I rolled and crawled toward him. I sat next to him and he pulled me closer, arm going around my shoulder and snuggling closer. When did this happen? We were in a field and leaning against the sole tree in the field.

"We're home, dear." _Dear?_

"Home? What do you mean?" His chuckle was not comforting and his hands were tight.

"You're home with me." It wasn't Alon anymore, it was Emeric and he was smiling that smug creepy grin.

I jerked awake and fell back against my cot. The canvas tent being illuminated in the low lantern light was what met my sight. I heard Alon snoring as he usually did in his own cot not five feet from the one I had dragged in here.

I was sweating and my heart was beating too fast. Yanking the thin blankets off, I slipped into more clothes and left the tent as silently as I could, which wasn't all that silent. I tripped over Alon's boots, cursed and then tripped over the trail of my jacket. Nervous, I righted everything.

"Mercy?" Alon's sleepy voice whispered.

"I just need some air, bad dreams…" I muttered and he rolled back over while I slipped out. It was still night but I could see the sun rising in the distance alone with the stars. It seemed the sky only cleared when it was night, giving a spectacular view of the stars and dual moons.

The campfire in the center was down to embers and a chill was filling the camp. I spotted Frail and Brig, they were on watch with two others I didn't know. Brig spotted me and tilted his head in acknowledgement. Brig was always silent, never spoke. Frail on the other hand filled the void with useless chatter and swearing. When I helped with the laundering he spoke the entire time about pissing in streams on his journeys.

I moved to the opposite side of the entrance where there were large depictions of bears and dragons. It was all very tribal looking as well. The range of colors were surprising as well. I had thought purple would have been really expensive to make, if my memory served. But who knows, maybe red and blue pigments were easy to find and produce here.

I traced the shapes of the bears. I wonder if I could ask the person who painted it for their paints. That'd give me something to do, especially if I was singing now. Though, I didn't want my entertaining the Blades being my only source of contribution.

Dawn approached and I heard others moving around the encampment so I moved to get to the tasks I could actually help with. I helped with breakfast, this time it was oatmeal with nuts. I managed to swallow it down. I can't imagine what I'd do if I was allergic to anything.

After helping clean the wooden bowls, I went to the tent to brush my teeth. I hadn't in a few days, mostly because I honestly forgot and also I wanted to preserve the small tube of tooth paste I had. Who knew what these people used to clean their teeth, if they even did that.

I was mid spitting out the frothy minty goodness into the chamber pot, after using a piece of thread to floss and then a dab of paste and vigorously brushing my teeth, when Alon walked in. I turned to look at him and he started and backed up.

"Are you rabid?!" He looked tense and ready to attack.

'What?" I spat the rest of the froth out and used a cup of water to rinse. "Rabid?" It took a second but I shook my head. "No, just cleaning my teeth."

He seemed tense still but seeing no more froth at my mouth he nodded. "We use a sip of wine and then chew fennel or lovage for that, if you are in need of it simply ask Alise." I shook my head and he nodded, but that is good to know. They do clean their teeth but I figured if they did it would be with elfroot. "What manner were you using that caused…" he gestured to his mouth referring to my toothpaste froth.

"A toothbrush, it's …" I showed it to him after I had rinsed it and was ready to let it air dry. It was bright green and white and was my travel toothbrush so it was really small and folded out of a plastic case.

"What a strange contraption, might I use it?" He asked. Him, use my toothbrush? That's rather intimate and something I've never done not even with past boyfriends or girlfriends.

"Where I'm from, typically one doesn't share their toothbrush unless…well unless it was with someone they were intimate with." I said and packed it away to dry in the remains of my bag. He coughed and looked away at that. "I thought you might use elfroot."

"While elfroot is very versatile it is medicinal in the healing of wounds. It can be used for your teeth if you had a sore or your teeth fell out. I remember as child mother handing me some when my first tooth fell." He had a smile on his face and the mention of his mother made me frown.

"I thought…I thought Blades of Hessarian were born and raised as Blades." I asked and he shook his head. Alon moved to where my sketchbook was and tapped it.

"I was raised in a small village south of Redcliffe. Honnleath, do you know it?" Alon smiled softly at my affirmation. "The darkspawn overran it and my mother and I barely made it out of there. I'd been taught to wield a blade by my father but he stayed behind to give us a chance to run. We had heard word of Lothering being overrun so we headed for Denerim yet my mother was infected with the blight." He was quiet. "It was by the grace of Andraste that Javon found me."

"Javon?"

"The leader of the Blades prior to Emeric. He took me in, reignited my faith in Andraste and trained me further. Javon was quite old however, he'd been leading as his father had before. He had no sons or daughters. He intended to name one of us leader but then Emeric challenged him and bested him. Leader by way of challenge is an old tradition since the time of Trefir, the passing of the Blade of Mercy going to our newest leader."

"Blade of Mercy?" I recalled that being a gift that could be given to Fenris but not much around it. What can I say, I did not painstakingly sift through the codices.

"Yes, you can see why when I learned of your name, I thought it funny. The image and grace of Andraste saved you, bringing us to you and you are Mercy. And your arrival could not have been sooner."

Alon looked to me full on and stepped closer. He took my hand in both of his larger hands. His hands were so warm and gentle yet just as calloused as Emeric's had been but it felt… _nice._ I wasn't creeped out by Alon, not like I was with Emeric. Looking up at the man, I nodded. "Why no sooner?"

"Mercy, I believe Andraste sent you to us so that you may aid Emeric."


	10. Push Comes To Shove

_"Mercy, I believe Andraste sent you to us so that you may aid Emeric."_

As in help, as in offer my services to Emeric. Was Alon crazy? Also Andraste send _me_? No one sent me, I came here by accident.

"How in the he – _coughs_ – void do you think Andraste sent me? Of all people." I stuttered over the swear remembering where I was. I pulled away from Alon and glared. "Andraste could not pick a worse person to send here. How you got that thought in your head is beyond me but I was in a shipwreck, I washed ashore and you helped me. I am no one special, if anything I'm incredibly lucky bandits didn't find me and sell me into slavery to Tevinter." I insisted, leaving out the whole interdimensional travel.

Truthfully I hadn't thought much on it because I am nobody on Earth and nobody on Thedas. It had to have been a complete accident for me of all people to get sent here. Or more likely I'm _dead_ and just imagining all this, but why break the spell of my afterlife? Nonetheless I not once thought it was something special but rather an accident, a mistake, something that wasn't supposed to happen but did. Yet here was Alon, the lieutenant to the Blades of Hessarian believing I was sent by his religion's prophet and savior.

Maybe it is my subconscious saying I was special. All those videos and meta-theories about how movies are trying to reiterate that you are not special came to mind. I had accepted that. I wasn't special. I did my job, I worked like the little drone I was and will be forever. So here comes these people, probably figments of my imagination telling me I'm special.

It was just _not okay_. I wasn't even religious. I held no faith, Christian or Andrastian. I'm agnostic for fuck's sake. Until proven one way or the other, I choose not to comment.

"Andraste was a simple Ciriane tribes woman turned wife then slave." he explained but I rolled my eyes at him. "And she ascended to become the Maker's prophet and at her death she became the Bride of the Maker-"

"You're insane. I am nothing like Andraste, there is no correlation between us. Do not make comparisons between us." I huffed and left the tent before he could continue. This was madness, – _Sparta!_ – insanity. I mean sure maybe Andraste and I both had blonde hair, supposedly if I'm remembering the depictions right, that didn't mean I was even remotely on par with her.

"Mercy, please listen…" Alon was following me, his voice low, whispering and pleading but he stopped when Emeric came out of his cabin. He had his full armor on which was a deep and dark red patterned coat with pauldrons on his shoulders and vambraces on his forearms. His greaves were not metal but instead bound leather to allow silent movements. It left him open to attack but allowed him to sneak around easier.

"I want her training to begin today Alon," Emeric looked to me without as much as a blink toward Alon. "It will be your responsibility for you to learn to defend yourself, Lady Mercy. I'll not have any of my people be vulnerable." It was precise and his eyes roved over my body again, but instead of being dark, lusty, and creepy it was calculating. I knew that look, my sister used to do it to me when she felt like making me a costume, sorry sis, _cosplay_ outfit "I will be making a trip to our western camp in the hills. Send a bird to inform me what she shows aptitude for and I shall have Walter prepare her arms and armaments."

"Will you be arranging a trade for more herbs and wine as well?" Alon stepped up to Emeric, all business and the two walked off toward the entrance. I was brushed off entirely as they walked off. I'd say rude but I was quite glad Emeric interrupted that conversation.

"Yes. I noticed we are running low. Have Dugan prepare the horses so that I may take some of our excess as well for trade. Prepare the hunters and hunt as many rams and druffalo we may need, the colder months are coming and we will need warmer coats…" The sound of Emeric's voice trailed off the further they went and I turned back into the tent.

I went back to getting ready for the day. I pulled my small compact out and checked my reflection. It wasn't much but being able to see that I was indeed me was grounding. It kept me sane that yes, I was here in Thedas. I hadn't changed, despite the slowly disappearing bags under my eyes. All this manual labor left me exhausted and by the time it was time for bed I was falling asleep before I finished crawling under the blanket on the cot. Another thing was the fresh air. Living in a highly condensed urban area all my life was not good for the lungs so actually breathing fresh clean air does wonders for your sleep.

I washed my face with a dab of soap and hand towel washed important parts quickly before slipping my clothes back into place and my shoes on. This was my morning routine, essentially having a sponge bath. Better than nothing I suppose. I wonder if I could get an actual bath though.

Walking out I went directly to Mira and Jany because I could see Alon was still busy with Emeric. So I helped them with the garden. They taught me how to clip the elfroot leaves to allow them to regrow overnight, but _royal_ elfroot had to be pulled out and replanted as many potions required the _root_ of royal elfroot. Yeah complicated.

There were blood lotus and black lotus plants growing in pots that were filled with water every night as they grew naturally on shores, in swamps, and lakes. We trimmed the entire flower with the stem. These were the only plants I recognized from the game, the others I didn't recognize at first.

I went to go see to them, make sure they weren't flooded with water when I noticed bulbous fruit from one of them. It was green but as I examined I smiled. _Tomatoes_. They looked about ready to turn red. I'd grown these in my little apartment because I loved fresh ingredients when I could get them. I distinctly recalled that on Earth tomatoes hadn't been spread until much later in human history because they were believed to be poisonous because the leaves and stems were hazardous. But the fruit were harmless.

"Careful, that's nightshade. We grow it for poison to douse our arrows and daggers in." Jany said from the cluster of elfroot plants.

"But the fruit, do you pick it."

"We dare not attempt, the plant itself is highly poisonous and is not indigenous to these parts. Delphine brought the seeds from Antiva." Now that raised my brow. Wasn't Antivan often described as a country based on Earth's Spanish countries?

"Delphine? I don't think I've ever met her."

"He. Delphine is actually over there. He's the one retouching the murals." Well that's what I get for assuming genders based on names. But also, murals! That's who is painting. Perhaps I can get him to lend me some paints. "You can talk to him, if you wish though I warn you… he'll talk your ear off." Jany went back to snipping leaves and I walked toward the murals.

"Delphine?" I called to the man who was my height had dark brown hair and tanned skin. He turned and for a moment I thought I was looking at Dorian sans his magnificent moustache but the difference were too many. This man had dark brown eyes and no birthmark either. His hair was brushed back and while he had a muscled figure it was more slim and slight. At one side was a sword and the other was a dagger.

"Yes?" That accent! It was rich and reminded me of Antonio Banderas except not over emphasized like it was in his Zorro movie. How racist did I just sound?

"I was wondering if I might borrow some of the paints." I asked and gestured to the small bowl he had filled with white paint and the brush he had. "And some brushes if possible."

The man raised a perfectly curved brow and leaned on one leg. "I suppose. But where will you paint. You need to get approval from our fearless leader to use our walls. I do so because I depict his many victories…" He rolled his eyes and pointed to the pictures. "So bland and self-aggrandizing, but… if you do get his permission…" the man rolled his words and he weighed the options with his hands. "I'd have to see it, so it doesn't clash…"

"Oh… really? I can make a quick sketch. And show you. I'll try to emulate your style." Success! I'll be able to paint.

"Messere Mercy." Delphine called me back and I turned to him. "I overheard you and Alonnie." _Alonnie?_ "In your tent." Oh. Oooh. Darn.

"it is true, what he says. Not about you being shepherded to us by Andraste. I believe you, that you are inconsequential, no offense. But…" _None taken_ , at least someone believes me on that. Delphine leaned closer and placed his palm on my shoulder. "Emeric has not been well this past year. I do not know what it is but he has gotten progressively worse. Your appearance however, he has softened and returned to how once he was, if just a touch. Perhaps your companionship will help."

Companionship? Friendship I could do, if the man wasn't so insistent that I sleep with him. - Wait hold up. Was I actually considering helping them with this? I saw no change in the man and have only seen one redeemable thing so far. And that was keeping to his word.

I suppose he did take me in.

And he is providing me with clothes, even if I have to buy then from him with a song.

And he's feeding me.

I needed to think on this more.

"To me, Emeric is the man who tried to blackmail me into using my body as my contribution for staying here." Delphine's eyes rose sharply and he dropped his brush.

"Has he tried to force himself on you?" Delphine asked quietly, his eyes shifting to behind me. I peeked back and saw Emeric was still speaking with Alon- _Alonnie_.

"No, but… there was a moment I thought he would." I muttered. I wasn't even sure I could trust Delphine but he looked in thought as he picked his brush back up and cleaned it. He made a few attempts to speak but ultimately didn't. "Delphine?"

"Later." He dismissed me gently. His eyes spoke volumes because he truly meant we would talk later. I just hoped he'd realize I could not help his leader.

Walking off, I ventured back to the garden and continued snipping elfroot leaves.

"Mercy." It was Alon.

"Alonnie." I smiled widely and he cringed.

"You're to begin learning forms, put these on." He dropped a bundle of leathers in my arms not even letting me wash my hands before he walked off. Alright, everyone is being dismissive today. What's up their butts?

Back to the tent I went and I unfurled the leather armor and struggled to put them on. How… where do I put my arms?! I struggled for quite a long time, attempting to pull it over head or stepping into it when finally Alon came into the tent.

"Um… I've never worn armor before." I muttered, feeling my cheeks burn. I really wanted to hide especially as Alon looked to me and covered his mouth.

"Clearly." I could hear he was laughing but he stepped up and helped me. Turns out there was a clasp that I had to undo on the _inside_ and then shrug it on like a jacket and redo the clasp as well. The rest was easy after that but I was in moderately heavy leather armor that made me look like a warrior princess. No. I'm kidding. I felt lugged down by the extra weight.

"What is this? This doesn't feel like just leather."

"It isn't. There are bits of metal sewn into to add weight so if you do prove to handle a sword and shield well, it will not be quite so cumbersome to switch to the metal armor. Though you will need to practice in this." Bits of metal… that actually made sense. You wouldn't train someone you don't know what they are good at if you don't know what kind of armor they'd need.

Alon ushered me out of the tent and I nearly bowed my legs because the grating of leather on leather threw me off and felt weird. My fingers were all but covered in leather, except for the tips so I could still move them around.

By the practice arena I could watch others training. But today I saw Brig and Bob fighting. Rather than being in what I mentally called the practice gear, they were armored up and fighting each other. Metal on metal screeching reminding me of nails on chalkboard had me cringing.

"Now." A wooden sword was thrown at me. It was shaped like a bastard sword that I had seen in every medieval movie ever. Simple and incredibly bland. "I want you to attack me."

"What? There's no teaching? No… forms or movements to learn?"

"The fastest way to figure out which weapon would be more suited to you is having you try them out. I'll monitor your natural movements and behaviors to determine that." Alon said picking up his sword and bracing himself. "It's much easier to find a weapon suited to your height, size, and natural movements then trying to force you into a specific type. Though we are limited in what kinds of weapons we have, we do still have a variety of a selection."

That sort of makes sense. There's bounds to be all kinds of weapons and different ways of using each. I wondered if I could learn to use a crossbow. I'd probably excel at that.

Alon gestured at me and I lifted the wooden sword. It wasn't heavy, nor too big. I gripped it and went to step forward when Alon interrupted. "Stop." He moved to me and handed me a wooden shield. "Again."

I balanced the shield with my right hand and lifted the sword with my left. I took three steps this time before Alone stopped me and yanked the wooden gear from me. He gave me marginally shorter swords and gestured. I took a few steps toward him and swung a hit, which he parried and pushed me back. I was supposed to land on my feet but I tripped backwards and fell on my backside.

Alon yanked the short swords from me without so much as a word and went back to the pile. He set the short swords down on a table though but grabbed a staff looking thing. I rose and he gave it to me.

It was like this for the rest of the morning. He'd hand me a type of wooden weapon and then have me try to use it. Most times, he stopped me before I even got close to him. But on some occasion he let me go through with my attack and then would parry, block or thwart my attack only to pull the weapons from me. Most times the weapon went back to the pile, sometimes though he set them aside. Clearly I was doing something right.

It was lunch time and I had fallen a grand total of twenty different times, received a smack for getting cheeky with my attempts, and my arms were like jello because some of those supposed wooden weapons weighed more like iron ones. Not to mention this armor was so constricting now and I had worked up a sweat like you wouldn't believe. My hair, which I had braided, was everywhere I was sure.

"Good news, you will not be required to train as a warrior, your form is sloppy and is made sloppier by the added weight but rogue armaments would work best for you. You moved easier with smaller weapons, daggers, a quarter staff, or lighter weapons such as a stave. Take a rest while I send word to Emeric." Alon said to me, patting me on the shoulder before he left.

I was panting, my mouth was dry and I could barely move. "Ugh…" I slumped to the ground, not even caring I got mud all over my shirt. It was all over my back and knees anyway!

"A rogue. Well, I was right, you can't lift a sword worth your salt." Frail said where he was twirling a knife and then cutting into an apple.

"Shove off…" Wait a second… he had an apple!


	11. Chants & Baths

With an apple in my hand and the pile of leather armor at my feet, I was feeling good. After I'd ask Frail where he'd gotten the apple and he'd shown me where the stores were. There in a basin of an odd water was apples! Apparently Alise had done some potion to preserve fruits with the effect of making them taste funny after too long. Typically if they weren't gone by the end of the month, they were used in the garden. I had to admit, it didn't taste any different than the ones I had back home, which made me think what fresh apples would taste like. It was smaller too, well the US's tendencies to breed things bigger wasn't here so it was to be expected.

I was sitting on a barrel, my legs stretched out as I waited for my body to finish cooling down. Each crunch, I gave Brig a smile as he pushed Bob around the training yard. The large man gave me a nod because it wasn't even a competition but Bob just did not want to give up.

Bob would throw his weight into a shield bash, and Brig would simply side step and watch Bob fall over. His foot pushing Bob further down and then waiting. Back and forth they went but eventually Bob got wise and started hitting Brig's legs, making the taller man wobble and then giving a grunt as he fell eventually. Bob gave a triumphant grin and Brig shook his head but held his hand out. At least it was friendly.

People were coming back in and getting ready for the hour of prayer and contemplation of Andraste and the maker. I wondered if I might hide away because I wasn't feeling like pretending just for their sake but then Alon came up behind me and handed me a goblet of water. "Replenish yourself and then meet at the fire. Today we read aloud canticles of transfigurations as a group. I want you to start."

…

"Come again…"

Alon didn't answer but gave me a sharp look that meant I wasn't to argue on this but I was _so_ disputing this.

"No no… don't walk away Mister." I fumbled toward him, my legs screaming at me in pain. "I am not leading the chant." I growled as I caught his arm and tried to pull him back but instead he dragged me after him. What the… I gripped his upper arm and felt the muscle beneath the thin layer of his tunic.

"I want you to see why you were chosen, and reading the canticle of transfiguration is the best option." He said and pulled me forward, his hands gripping my shoulders and pulling me close. It almost felt like he'd shake me. "After which, I will tell you why I _know_ Emeric is ill, not of the body but of the mind and spirit."

My legs were twisted from his manhandling and we were but a breaths distance away from each other. He exhaled and I inhaled, my eyes on his lips briefly and then I looked up at his own eyes which realization was dawning in them. "Alon…" I whispered, my voice breathless.

"Forgive me." He muttered while flushing. He stepped back into the side of a cabin. For once _he_ was the clumsy one. Snickering, I crossed my arms.

"I'm not leading." I said and hopefully with enough conviction he'd let it go.

* * *

I was dirty and gross sitting at a stump with their religious text in my lap. Alon was gathering everyone and I - I was glaring at everyone who looked at me. Alon insisted, he pleaded and we griped for a full ten minutes. I caved eventually, especially when he promised me a bath if I did it. So I caved like the weak woman from earth I was.

I'm weak. _So_ _very_ _weak_.

I wanted that bath, especially after that training.

"Reading today, dear?" It was the only elder woman in the Blades. Her hair was stark white but she had a fierce body with a large scar running down the right side of her face. Her right eye being whited out. Her name was Patrice and I've seen her train with Brig, knocking the large man on his arse after only a few minutes of taunting. She was a fierce woman and took no shit from anyone as far as I've seen.

"For a bath." I said honestly while huffing.

A bark of laughter came from her, it was deep and unexpected. "Oh, that's a good incentive, especially when Thursdays are bath days."

My neck audibly snapped as I turned to Alon and gave him the most heated glare I could muster. He gave me a self-satisfied grin and continued handing out lunch with Mira. He tricked me! That son of a bitch tricked me. And of course, me being so gullible, I agreed.

I opened the book and turned the pages. I flipped to the first page and eyed the text, like really eyed it. It was foreign with stocky square characters. I frowned and flipped more pages. I couldn't read this. I couldn't read any of it.

"Fuck…"

"What is it?" Patrice was asking, leaning over.

"I can't read."

She pulled the book from me and turned a few pages, more than half way through and then placed the book in front of me. "How about now?"

I looked at the text and while it looked more familiar, I still couldn't read it. It looked like latin actually, similar in written format, could that be Tevene? "No. I… didn't know I couldn't read."

Patrice rose and moved to Alon, whispering to him in hushed tones. I frowned and flipped through the pages. Back home I was fluent in only one language, English, which apparently translated to common here in Thedas. But written English was very different to written common as it seemed.

I flipped to a page that contained hand drawn depictions. There was Andraste. I was right, she's blonde. She looked like what you would expect from a holy figure. Dressed in a white dress or robe with a spiked, horned crown. It was familiar actually, I just couldn't place it.

"You cannot read? Are you certain?" Alon's voice was right by my ear and he was sidling next to me on the seat. His hand flipped through the book and back to a previous chapter. His fingers slid across the page to underline the first line. "Try that."

I couldn't concentrate. He was right next to me, touching me. His other hand slid to touch my wrist and held it. My breath hitched sharply and I couldn't really pay attention. _What is happening_? I took a deep breath in sharply and shook my head. "I can't read it." There was a pause and Alon pulled away from me.

"I see. We'll have to do something about that. Patrice, do the honors?" He spoke and Patrice grabbed the book from my lap and Alon stayed seated next to me. His hand didn't leave my wrist however. I noticed the plate next to us with a sandwich but suddenly I wasn't quite so hungry.

I didn't notice anything but the hand on my wrist. Sound was ignored and even my thirst was ignored. What the hell? Was I some teenager with a crush? No. I'm a grown as woman, I do not need this. Especially here of all places!

Let's look at the facts. I've been here…

Well shit I haven't been keeping track. About two days so far?

No… three. Wait four.

Right I was ill the first day. Either way, this was too fast. I needed to cool it.

Eventually the chant ended and Alon pulled away from me. I rose and I made a beeline for the tent. I needed to clear my head and think. But as I walked in, there was Alon grabbing his clothes. Had I just followed him without noticing?

"Lady Mercy." He's curt and he walks out. My fingers are curled into fists and I shoot him a glare. How dare he simply dismiss me again?

Tight-lipped I grab my bag and rummaged around for my last bit clothes. Carry-ons weren't meant to carry a full wardrobe of clothes and I was lucky enough to have what I did. Still, it was running low which meant I need to wash clothes soon or… or sing for Emeric more. Definitely going to wash.

Out of the tent, I notice the encampment is rather empty save for women only.

"Mira…?" I look around pointedly and she smiles.

"The men went off to have their baths in the stream." _In the stream?_ "They'll be back in an hour."

So it wasn't really a bath, more like a dip in the stream. How did they warm the water anyway? Or was everyone here used to colder water? Oh fuck, it better not be like that. I don't think I could sit in cold stream water and bathe. Not even in the sweltering summers when all you wanted was a spray of cold water. I always took steaming hot showers.

The sponge baths were sufficient but today, I wanted a bath. No I _needed_ one. I just needed some semblance of normal to right myself.

Huffing, I retrieved my sketchbook and did a few sketches including the one I'd told Delphine I would do. It was a tribal depiction of a dragon encircling a giant with lighting crashing down. I'd have to decide on the colors later but this is what it would look like.

The men came back and the women gathered. There was only a handful of us, me, Patrice, Mira, Alise, and a woman named Beltrude. Beltrude was a quiet one and was always out. As it turns out she was always on scouting duty, only retiring to have Delphine replace her. She was a serious woman and she carried her weapons with her everywhere. I noticed most did as well, except Alise and Mira.

We reached the stream and Delphine was there. "Ladies." He was laying out a blade and a bowl and wiping some white suds off his face. Shaving cream or something like it?

As Delphine left, Alise raised her hand over a central boulder. I watched as runes were carved over the surface of the rock with red and orange light and then a circle around it. After a moment, I saw steam rising off the stream in that particular area.

I never did get to appreciate magic at my first introduction but now seeing it being used for mundane purposes… it's quite useful. But then again that water could be heated up and made to cook me in an instant.

Alise was walking around and throwing down more runic circles, these were green and a faint green barrier appeared before it dispersed into the trees and bushes. She did that several times and each time it was amazing. Finally she stopped, panting and Patrice was there, grabbing hold of her.

"What were those?" I asked as Alise sat down to kick her shoes off.

"Wards. To prevent anyone from seeing us. They last only for an hour or so." She rasped out and stopped talking to lay back. "Creation and Spirit magic are not my best schools but someone has to."

Alise wouldn't have to tire herself out if they had tubs to bathe in. Then again it'd be used all the time and only one person could be in it at a time. Whereas this stream method meant everyone could go in at once for an hour and then out they come and resume being productive members of the group. Sort of like a bathhouse and spa in one, handy and efficient.

The others were stripping and climbing into the stream. And it was then I noticed something very different between the women here and me. It wasn't their body type, because there were all sorts despite the standard I remember from the games for everyone even the elders. It was their body hair and scars. Not a big difference if you think back home, that's normal. But me, I was pampered compared to these people here. Pampered in all aspects of the body as well. I've no body hair and no scars. I did however have an unusual tattoo that I'm sure no one on Thedas would ever have but that was beside the point.

It felt like the first time I had to change P.E. clothes in school and that was nearly a decade and a half ago. That awkwardness when you realize you have a very noticeable difference on your body. These women were battle hardened, training for all their life. They had scars in places I would cry if I got just a paper cut there! I was smooth, soft, and hairless compared to them.

Even Mira, the elf had hair and scars. Although it was significantly less than the others, it was still present. I briefly wondered if she trimmed her bush but quickly quelled that thought and turned to watch Alise strip who had recovered marginally. Her shirt was off and there displaying on her were intricate black tattoo designs. I wondered if there were any significance to it when she looked to me.

"You going to bathe or sit there in your stink all day?"

"Uh yeah… I need a moment." She nodded and walked right in joining the idle chatter of the other women.

I felt so much younger somehow. It wasn't just the women. The men were scarred, muscled in ways no one back home was. My fingers and toenails weren't perfectly manicured anymore but they were being well groomed compared to the cracked and chewed up nails of the people here. I dare not see what their feet are like either. Just thinking of the toe fungus made me shiver.

It wasn't going to change though. I wasn't going to suddenly sprout hair in places I had specifically gotten removed for aesthetic purposes. But my nerves sure made me slow my movements. I was in my underwear, small clothes for them when I approached. I began climbing into the water and then, only then did I remove my panties and bra, quickly sinking into the warm streaming water hoping none of them noticed. I tossed my underwear to the pile where my clothes were and grabbed the small travel bottles filled with my soaps, bringing them closer so I could reach them.

"Mercy! Come here! Let me wash your hair." Mira was beaming at me. She looked radiant even though all of us were completely dirty.

"My hair?"

"Yes, your hair! It is so long and thick. I've been wondering what it feels like." As I shifted closer, her hands went through it, her thin fingers combing through the haphazard braid that was left over. She was humming as she untangled it.

"Looks cumbersome." Beltrude snorted. Her voice has a surprisingly American like accent.

"It is, honestly. I'd cut it but I'm worried I'd make it uneven." I was actually thinking of cutting it. It keeps getting in the way and the braid I put it in was not doing me any favors in that front.

"Oh no, don't cut it. I haven't seen long hair since I was a child. You look quite darling with it." Patrice was lounging back. I smiled and looked down, enjoying the fingers going through my hair. It was soothing and relaxing, so naturally my eyes closed as I enjoyed the relaxation.

"So, how's the baby?" Alise asked.

"Oh, you can tell me more than I can tell you." Mira's voice oozed happiness. I didn't even know she was pregnant.

"Well, then how are you feeling?" Beltrude spoke softly.

"I feel wonderful. Not nearly as nauseous as l thought. And I'm beginning to show." I felt her remove her hands, and I turned to look at her. She was looking down at her relatively slim belly. Slim, but there I noticed a slight bump. It was so slight that if you weren't looking for it you'd miss it.

"Congratulations, Mira." I wanted to ask whose it was but etiquette from home prevented me. Especially because I'm sure people here couldn't be sure whose kid was whose besides physical characteristics. I imagined a red haired elf child with dark green eyes like Jany. He or she would be so beautiful.

"How's that new staff of yours?"

"I really like the enchantments on it."

"Zazz has been teaching me a recipe for lamb stew from the Anderfels. Says his mother…"

"Dugan says the steeds in the South Camps are doing better…"

They talked amongst themselves and I listened. It was very informative about the group but they didn't talk about what was happening outside these hills, about the world out there. Maybe they didn't know as much as Alon or just chose to ignore it.

I'd retrieved my soap and was beginning to rub it through my hair sparingly when Mira appeared in front of me. "What is this?" She pointed to my plastic bottle of shampoo. "It smells define, like flowers but not quite."

"It's shampoo," at her blank look I further explained how it was used to wash hair of dirt and filth, but that it also stripped it of natural oils.

"Why use it if it removes something helpful?" She asked and sniffed the soap.

"Well…" I didn't quite know how to answer. "We have conditioner as well, which moisturizes the hair by introducing oil."

"So you remove oil, only to add more? That makes no sense." Beltrude said.

I turned, just as Mira figured out how to get the soap out and she was coating my hair in it and was massaging it in. "It doesn't but back home it's what we did."

"Do you do everything just because others do so?" Patrice asked, her grin scrunched her scar up and made that side of her face look like pale tanned leather. It was not a good look to have.

"Not always. But it's supposedly healthy for the hair, if you do it once a week." Mira was directing my head down into the stream and its current removed the soap from my now clean hair. And by the Maker, it felt wonderful. My hair had been getting itchy as of late.

"It makes your hair squeak."

"My hair what?" And she pulled a lock together and rubbed over it. There was a slight squeak but it was so faint. "I guess that's what they mean by squeaky clean."

Mira's brows furrowed and she kept making my hair squeak. I grabbed the bottle of conditioner and squirted a small helping. I ran it through my hair as best as I could then I used water to help that process. All the while Mira's fingers ran through it. She _really_ liked my hair. It was getting awkward.

After Mira went back, I watched the others bathe. They each had a sliver of a bar that they scrubbed themselves with. It had no fancy look to it, just a bar of gray soap and no fancy smell either. I missed my lavender scented soap. I'd love it if I could get even an _Irish Spring_ bar of soap for a bit. Instead I just had my bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and my toothbrush and toothpaste. So I used a dab of shampoo to clean my entire body as best as I could.

Then we lounged in the hot water. It was relaxing and calming. I felt myself pruning easily and I found I quite liked it. Back home I only showered this long when I had time which was almost never. I was lucky to get to the spa once a year, and now… now I'm sitting in essentially a large bath with four other women.

The water wasn't exactly deep but I was crouched down low. So I moved toward a rock, gripped it and let my legs straighten out in the water. The current running over it was really soothing. I listened to their conversations bounce from equipment, to baby names, to a band of bandits they had fought last week when I wasn't here.

When they began moving, I protested. I wanted to stay. I'm sure my expression said it all because Alise laughed. "It's still early, there are a few minutes before the wards wear off. Stay a bit longer if you wish, but remember this is the way back to the encampment." She insisted I tell her which way over and over again to make sure I got it. Then I was left alone if only for a few minutes.

Then it dawned on me. I'd be alone. _Alone_. Who knew when I'd get this chance again? Looking around, I felt really exposed but as I sunk into the water, my hands traced over my hips and dipped down to the apex of my thighs. I closed my eyes as I pictured the last porn I watched of two men going at it. What, a woman can't enjoy two men screwing each other?

Nonetheless I pleasured myself. I'm sure I took longer than a few minutes because the water was already cool when I finished. I opened my eyes and there standing at the bank was Alon. My cheeks flushed hotly. How long had he stood there?


	12. Belladonna Blues (Alon's POV)

_Andraste's tits, she's …she's…oh maker forgive my slur and the sins I have witnessed._

This woman was unbelievable. While I believe she was sent to us from the Maker she is proving to be far more difficult than I thought. With no knowledge of weapons, combat, or even the ability to read. It's as though she were born just the day prior to when we found her. Yet if it weren't for the rudimentary knowledge she has of things that have transpired and how things work, not to mention her quick acceptance of contributing, I would have said as much as well. A slight hassle, but mine to deal with.

It's true, Emeric had not wished for her to remain here at first. Yet when he met her, saw her, he allowed it. Something in his expression had softened and with an opportunity like that I jumped at the chance. I had not seen my old friend behave like that in so long, it was refreshing.

Yet the woman did not keep track of her surroundings, she wasn't attentive, and she had a severe lack of regard for her life, as it seems. Like now for instance. While I may ignore the sin, she is committing it while the wards have faded and- _oh maker her moan_

It was improper for me to keep looking so I went to move but her eyes opened. She saw me, knew I was there.

"Mercy, I…" My tongue was dry and I looked away from her partially hidden form. "I was worried you'd be left here alone." Not untrue. When the women returned without her, I asked. Alise said to give Mercy a few more moments and I did but when nearly half an hour passes, that's when I came out. I feared she had become lost but instead I stumbled upon her public display of debauchery.

"Uh…" Eloquent as always the daft woman. I turned my back.

"The wards have faded. I shall stand guard while you make yourself proper." I listened to the sound of her exiting and shifting. I pushed the image of her naked form out of my mind. I had a duty, I had faith. I will not be tempted. "Many are those who wander in sin, despairing that they are lost forever, but the one who repents, who has faith unshaken by the darkness of the world, and boasts not, nor gloats over the misfortunes of the weak, but takes delight In the Maker's law and creations, she shall know the peace of the Maker's benediction." I recited a verse of the Canticle of Transfiguration loud enough that I was sure she heard, if her sudden stillness was to be any indication.

"Did you just preach to me?"

"I did. You must keep the Maker in your heart and the Chant of Light guides. We do not sin and you have stained and befouled yourself with your act." I was not angry but the words are there. It is a sin what she has done. A sin she shall be forgiven if she repents.

"Holy fuck, you're judging me because I masturbated… what if you hadn't caught me." She had stepped into my field of vision. Her brown eyes ablaze with unbridled fury. Her form was clothed in small clothes at least now.

"I do not judge, it is the maker that will judge your actions. But you have sinned unto yourself. You must repent, Mercy." Her eyes widened and she took a step back. "If you wish you may ask Emeric for forgiveness for this act."

She made a noise, as though I had fed her something foul and she spat it out. "Leave. I can get back to the encampment on my own." Her voice was even, low, and dangerous. I turned to see her wringing her hair out, yet she wasn't any more dressed.

"I will not go far but call for me if something-"

"I said go." She spat.

I did. Though I didn't go all the way back. I would linger to be within yelling distance. While we may own and control these hills, there is always danger lurking. The hunting party the other night proved useful in tracking the bandits we had spotted but by no means did we eliminate them all.

* * *

"Alon!"

"What is it?" I called. She had wanted me to go and now she calls me back? Fickle.

"C-come here."

Her stutter was unusual. Had a creature stumbled in? No her voice would be far more panicked. Yet as I moved through the bushes and trees back to the stream, all was silent. Standing at the edge of the small clearing by the stream. She stood in the same small clothes as I left her. Her eyes were pleading and her brows were furrowed.

"Mercy what-" her eyes widened and looked behind me. I had just enough time to pivot on my heel, drawing my blade to catch the double daggers aimed for me. The masked stalker must have been surprised at my reflexes. He wore white and silver armor and bits of red cloth.

I noticed the archer in the corner of my eye but instead of aiming at me he was aiming behind me…"Get Down!" I yelled and heard a grunt.

I kicked at the rogue in front of me, yet he flipped backwards. As much as I'd like to have pursued there was the matter of the archer. Slipping a throwing dagger into my palm, I aimed, letting the handle guide the dagger. I didn't bother to look if it hit, but turned toward Lady Marcy who lay on the ground with an arrow in her abdomen.

She was writhing in pain. Blast it to the void, it was poisoned.

Turning again at the sound of footsteps, a large maul wielding man charged. I spun away from him, dipping my leg down to trip him up. He stepped over and swung his maul. I caught the blunt end of it and fell back. Rolling to my feet, I managed to dodge the large weapon again. The footsteps were telling of his movements and I dodged out while he crashed into a tree. This gave me an opening.

I pushed in with my sword where his armor met his joint and dug in. Ignoring his screams, I pushed in and yanked out, keeping my mouth closed. The brute was wobbling on his feet but managed to grab my throat from behind him. He hefted me up and made to throw me but my sword caught between his helmet and chestplate. Blood stained his white and silverite armor, seeping onto me as well. He fell back and I pulled myself up. I checked to make sure he stayed down but added another slice to his neck and then another stab to his abdomen.

As I rose I saw the archer in my periphery, the dagger I had thrown landed in my vambrace. I felt how close it had been to piercing my skin. Ripping it out, I eyed the bushes. The archer and stalker were out there still.

Shifting to crouch behind the corpse, I checked on Mercy again. Touching the tip of the protruding arrow, I brought it to my tongue. I spat it out and checked her. Dilated eyes let me know for sure. It was belladonna, simple solution. However I don't know how much got into her blood stream. She was in pain because the arrow pierced her abdomen, probably ruptured something inside. I needed to take her to Alise. Cutting the arrow at the shaft, I pushed the rest out despite her protests and cries.

I was about to start sucking the poisons out when the stalker came at me from the corner of my eye. His daggers aimed at my throat. I blocked and punched him in the face. He staggered back and I rose, charging at him. Yet he managed to kick back and away.

It became a dance, a flash of daggers and sword. His movements were faster, far more graceful but mine were stronger. I'd charge or put strength into my attacks and he'd spin, roll, or flip away. He tried drawing me away at first but I would not go into the territory that worked to his advantage. So I tried to stay as close to Lady Mercy and it was showing.

He was getting cocky as well, trying to catch my back or moving toward the prone woman. My sword flashed to block his stray dagger and he looked gratified that he found his opening but I had many throwing daggers on me. As he went for my abdomen, my other arm came up to his throat. I cut his throat deeply, and ignored the seeping blood that got on me.

Throwing the body aside, the stalker grasping at his neck to stop the bleeding. I grabbed them and used the pommel of my sword to break his fingers to prevent him from trying to save himself. The resulting scream was satisfying.

Panting, I turned in the clearing. There was still the matter of the archer.

Speaking of.

An arrow pierced my thigh, followed by another in my forearm. These were poisoned as well. I felt them and yanked the arrows out. I thanked the maker for the foresight of Frail, having us develop an immunity to common poisons of Fereldan and Orlais as well as taking an antidote daily. But Mercy on the other hand, she had no such treatment.

Downing an elfroot potion, I took off into the woods, appearing like I was running away. I looped around toward an outcropping I knew our scouts would be at.

Lo and behold I saw Yenny poke his head out to see me limping toward them.

"Archer." I mouthed and I ducked into cover as Yenny and whomever was scouting with him took aim and let out two arrows. The sound of a thud let me know they were taken out.

Gritting my teeth I checked the archer. They too wore white and silverite armor, I didn't recognize the insignia but at least he wasn't dead. Good. I had questions. "Cover him, take him to the cage." I shouted, not checking to make sure it was done.

"Sir. You are injured."

"I left Lady Mercy. Alert the others." I grunted as I continued back. While we may take common poison antidotes, that didn't mean the poisons didn't affect us a little. I felt my temperature rise and my vision blur, but nothing to worry about.

Entering the clearing, I saw something bright and blue and… glowing. It was Mercy, her hands were glowing over her injury.

"Mercy…you're a-" I stumbled forward. Looking down into my abdomen I saw two large daggers piercing me.

There had been two stalkers not one. That's why they came from two different directions. Their identical clothing and masks shrouded their numbers.

"ALON!" I heard her voice yell out. I looked up to see her. Her eyes were still dilated and her skin was paler than usual. The glowing increased however and I felt my body flung back.

" _Kaffas_!" I heard the stalker behind me grunt as I landed on him. I flipped over, grabbed their own dagger and stabbed him, repeatedly.

"Oh my god… oh my god. What did I do… how…?" I heard her panicked voice but felt her hands pull me up and away. I looked to her. Her eyes were still dilated and her hands still glowed.

"Magic…" I spat blood out and she looked at her hands. I heard ripping and realized my shirt was being torn open and her expression became one of concentration.

"I don't- how I did it- just happened-I make it…" Her words came in and out and then I felt a searing heat in my abdomen. It wasn't painful but it felt like my skin was being stretched too much, like there was a surge of energy in me. I felt my entire body twitch and I gritted my teeth.

"Too much, too fast…" I groaned out but the blue light filled the clearing and next thing I know I'm catching her as she passed out and I had not a scratch or wound on me. There was quite a deal of blood everywhere, however.


	13. Canvas And Signs

Magic doesn't exist back on Earth. I mean sure illusionists, magicians, and hypnotists say they perform magic but it is all misdirection and a trick of the eyes and mind; a sleight of hand if you will. At least I hope it is. It would explain things if they were really using magic. But I digress, magic is not real on Earth as far as I know. So to suddenly have magic on Thedas, was disconcerting.

I'm not from here, I've never been exposed to the Fade as far as I know. Okay there was that weird dream and that weird moment while listening to Alon pray but those couldn't have been the Fade. Either way, I shouldn't have access to magic.

I'd know if suddenly I could touch into the Fade and yank out elements to my will. At least I think so. But I felt no different, nothing at all. It was like… it was more like when I draw or create things. It was like I understood everything about the wound in my abdomen.

To be honest I think the poison in my system got to me. My vision was blurry, I felt my heart rate increase and my body was tremoring. It was not a fun time. Yes as soon as the arrow was cut off by Alon and he disappeared to who knows where, I looked at the wound. Everything was bright, the sun was too bright and then I was glowing. Everything I saw blurred into each other and my hands became green and blue, mostly blue. My skin was too pale and as I looked at the wound everything clicked into place.

I was back in college, sitting in a morgue looking and drawing organs, how they should look when healthy and what they look like when damaged. The assignment was realism and I had went for intimate realism with your organs. Each sinew of muscle was drawn in intricate detail on my sketchpad.

So when I say everything clicked into place, I mean it quite literally. I watched as I saw muscle regrow, I could feel it too. My hands hovering just above the wound is probably what triggered it. Even with it partially blocked it was like I could see it, feel it. I drew with my mind how it should regrow how it would mend. There wasn't a surge of new found otherness, no it was more of seeing and feeling my drawing and sculpting become real.

When it was done I hardly noticed Alon until he stepped forward but by then it was too late. The daggers lodged in his stomach, the twist they took spilled far more blood than I had ever seen, and I donated frequently back home.

The blood wasn't as dark as I thought but my vision was impaired. It seemed almost blood orange. Yes, blood orange. It stained everything, from the leather vest to the blue tunic. His armaments weren't affected but everything else was. His skin became pallid.

I remember yelling, I remember I felt like I wanted to push the daggers out but I was too far and too weak. The poison was affecting me too much and I knew it. But then I saw Alon and the rogue pushed back by an unseen force,

Did I do that? I wasn't sure. I stumbled forward. Everything focused on getting to Alon. Alon the only person I could trust. Alon, the only person here I couldn't lose. We'd fought but I didn't want him dead.

I barely registered him pulling forward and using the daggers that had once been inside him to stab the rogue. There was a deafening spurt of blood each time. Alon panted and gasped with each plunge.

There was so much blood.

Alon turned around and lay there. I'm certain I babbled and he said something, I don't know. I just remember concentrating. I healed myself, why couldn't I heal him? I had no idea how it worked but soon my hand and mind worked together. I was inside again, but rather than seeing my innards, I saw his. I saw the muscles, the punctured lung, the serrated kidney and the about to spill out intestines.

I started with the lung. The thin tissue that covers the lungs regenerated, preventing more blood from spilling into the lungs or diaphragm. The branches were somewhat filled. Nothing I could do there, but I could see and feel Alon coughing up blood.

My drawing filled the space, painting each strand of tissue with deliberate strokes and colors. Pinks and reds, blues and purples filled the canvas that was my mind and was also Alon. It felt like ages but the lung was healed, branches were now empty and any damage to them was cleaned. Then I turned to the kidney. Should I seal it or salvage it? I salvaged it.

I was getting tired, I knew it. It felt like I had been drawing for hours and hours but when I opened my eyes to push the intestines back in, the sun hadn't moved and Alon was muttering "too much." I kept up. The muscles and skin regrew, it was sloppy, and I was sloppy. My vision was darkening fast but I wanted to fix it. It was my fault.

My fault.

 ** _My fault._**

I noticed something else was hurt, something was really damaged. It was blacked and vile inside him. Could I paint over it? Could I make it pink and healthy? I tried. I did. But I was feeling so sore. Why was I sore? When I opened my eyes I was already falling over and everything became dark and bright at the same time.

When I woke up again I was in a tent I was unfamiliar with. It was a tapered beige cloth tent with shelves and tables. Plants and herbs hung everywhere and a table with a mortar and pestle was off to the side. I lay in one of three cots in the large tent.

My groaning must have alerted someone because the room was flooded with morning light. Wait morning?

"What time is it?"

"Just after dawn." It was Alise. She appeared troubled. "Drink this." A bottle of a red liquid was shoved into my hands.

"What is it?"

"Elfroot potion."

We had spoken at the same time. I found it funny, she scowled.

"How did you hide it?" The mage asked once I downed the entirety of the potion. It was minty and flooded me with warmth.

"Hide what?"

"Your magic. I would have sensed if you were a mage…" She looked me directly into the eyes. "Are you possessed? Is it blood magic?"

"Woah woah… I didn't even know I _was_ a mage." I remembered what I had done, though some parts were fuzzy, but that miraculous action I took was not forgotten.

"Then how are you hiding it?" She seethed, stepping closer and touching me. It felt like a cold bucket of water had washed over me and as I looked down I noticed the frost creeping up my arm. "Tell me." Alise was terrifying, her eyes filled with deep desperation that made me fear for my life.

"I-I don't know h-ho-how, what does my magic f-f-feel like to you?" I stammered out, trying to pry her hands off me. The cold making me shiver.

"I can't feel it, that's the problem. I don't have to touch you to feel your magic and I can't sense anything. It's like…it doesn't exist. I may have been an apprentice when the circles fell but I know how to sense other mages." She spat and shook me.

"Alise, unhand your patient."

Our heads audibly snapped as we looked to see Alon walking in. Alise stepped away, the frost didn't go away at first so I chipped it off.

"I… really did heal you." I muttered, looking down.

"Yes. For which I am grateful for. You on the other hand, do not handle simple poisons well." He sat next to me. I heard Alise shuffle out.

I nodded. Was he going to ask why I called him back?

"I assume they threatened you with bodily harm." His voice was soft and his hand touched mine. Something inside me clenched, not in anticipation but in sorrow.

"I should have fought back." I was a tiny mouse saying this. I hadn't been meek like this since the third grade. I felt young again, like I had done something very wrong. Only this time I had actually done it rather than had the blame cast on me. "I should have yelled, anything but let you come back unwarned."

"And you'd be dead." His hand squeezed mine and I looked to him. "I must thank you though, without your magic I would be dead. Instead you were the one injured and poisoned and in need of assistance, but that will change." He rose.

"When you are better from the poisons, you will begin a regiment with Frail and Alise on introducing poisons and their antidotes into your system. You'll be ill, too ill to train at first, so instead I'll have Mira teach you to read. After which in the evenings, Alise will begin teaching you to harness your magic." He picked up a bag. "Your clothes were bloodied and I took it upon myself to gather the bag of garments Emeric left. I believe you've proven yourself."

The bag was placed by the cot and I simply nodded. This wasn't how I wanted to earn those clothes but it beats having to sing for them. "How long has it been?"

"Three days." _Come again?_

"Three? Is… is Emeric back?"

"He came and left. He heard of what you did to save my life and is…" Alon paused to stare at me meaningfully. "…impressed. When he returns he wants to speak to you about learning Creation and Spirit healing as it seems that might be your specialty." He smirked. "We could use a dedicated healer."

Oh yay. Healing. Just… wonderful.

Alon left me after that and I got dressed. I wasn't as clean as I wanted to be, considering it's been three days but it would have to do. My hair was an absolute mess though and I left it hanging loose rather than attempt to untangle it.

Exiting the tent, I was immediately hailed toward Mira who sat with a large book out and several pieces of parchment, two quills, one ink bottle, and a weird pot. Stepping toward the elf, she patted the log next to her and I sat.

"I'm going to teach you how to read and write. Almost everyone in the camp knows how. Alon thinks it will be good practice for when the baby is born." Mira's excitement over her pregnancy was still new to me but it did make sense. It was a milestone of childhood after all.

She showed me first how to use the quill and ink bottle, then how to use the small pot filled with what they call pounce, to dry ink. It was used only if we were writing letters that needed to be sent off in a hurry. Typically only Emeric or Alon used it but just incase, she taught me how to use it.

Then we got down to business.

We started with identifying the letters. They had over one hundred odd different letters in common tongue. It wasn't just the basic twenty-six letters that English had. They also had special characters, letters, for combination of sounds. I always wondered why Varric's Swords and Shields cover looked like there were too few letters. Now I know why.

They had a character for the _ch_ sound.

A character for the _ck_ sound.

They had a character for each double letter, things like _ff_ , _ll_ , _oo_ , _zz_ , and so on.

Qu, Ph, Gn, Nk, so many combination of vowels and consonants. Don't even get me started on the characters that represented three letters because they had those too, but they weren't as commonly used.

I started a cheat sheet about half way through. At first it was just the basic letters but the most common combination of letters I included as I went along. And on the opposite side of the parchment I put in English phonetics so I knew how to pronounce them. There were so many. It reminded me of the summer I attempted to learn Japanese and all I ended up with was an appreciation for those who could call themselves literate in the language. All those Kanji you had to memorize. But thankfully common tongue was a lot easier, less characters to remember.

Structure of sentences were about the same as English, except there were a few less punctuations than we had. It took the entire morning and well into afternoon for the basics to be covered and Mira was pleased with me, though she looked at my cheat sheet a couple of times and scratched her head over the little sweeping circles and lines that comprised my English.

It occurred to me I technically had a code. My little English letters would be a nice way for me to communicate to those I taught the language to without any outside parties being able to understand. I just had to make sure no one looked at the sheet from now on.

* * *

Lunch was a bundle of oats and nuts with a slab of meat. Bread had apparently run out and needed to be prepped and baked. I was quite glad not to be eating stale bread or lumpy oatmeal again, but I really missed fruits and vegetables. I could just feel the malnutrition coming.

I sat next to Brig and Frail as Mira had gone off to find Jany or something. I was quite tired of listening to her to be honest and I knew after lunch it'd just begin again, well after prayer anyway.

Frail was talking up a storm as usual. I always wondered why Brig never spoke so when Frail took a bite too big, I turned to the larger man and smiled. "Hey, Brig. How come I've never heard you speak?" Frail choked and Brig gave me this sad smile. He was chewing something but made a gesture for me to wait.

"Brig's an ex-slave." Someone piped up quietly next to me. I turned to the gentleman, I recall his name being Bryant.

"Of Tevinter?"

There was a nod from Frail and Bryant and Brig looked down at his plate hard. "His old master cut his tongue out." Frail offered to explain and I must have paled because he added, "It's all healed but, no tongue so he can't talk."

"I'm sorry. I won't mention it again." Though I had an idea what it meant to be a slave thanks to Fenris's story but I wanted to know Brig's.

Did Brig know how to write? Maybe read? There's be no way to know for sure really. Unless…

We were finished with lunch and people were gathering for prayer. I stuck to Brig and Frail this time. Frail was muttering the canticle of trials and Brig nodded along. I wasn't really paying attention. I was trying to figure out how to approach Brig.

Sign Language would be my best bet. But there would be some idioms and movements I couldn't translate to acceptable in Thedas culture. I'd have to be careful with how I talked. I'll start with the basics.

Prayer hour was gone and I followed Brig a bit, despite seeing Mira try to wave me over again. "Brig, may I take you aside for a moment?" He nodded and we detached from Frail.

"So…where I come from, people who can't verbally talk due to being born unable to hear or… unfortunate situations, they talk using something known as sign language." I started, watching to make sure the man was following along. "I learned because my sister was born unable to hear so everyone in my family had to learn. I could…teach you, if you're like?"

Brig was staring at me with this odd sort of expression. But his eyes narrowed, and he quickly pulled me aside, looking around. But then he made movements to get me started. I smiled. "I'll start with the letters, it's less than common tongue has…" he nodded and looked at me intently. So I went through positioning my hands and he copied the movements as best he could. Each time he got it right he smiled widely and it warmed my heart.

"Mercy, there you are." Mira looked at me and Brig suspiciously before she smiled. "Brig… you know how jealous Frail would get."

Jealous?

Well this was news.

"Sorry Mira, I just wanted to…" I nearly said what I was doing but Brig looked to me pleadingly. "…show Brig my tattoo."

"You have a tattoo? Ooh let me see." The elven woman clapped her hands and I frowned but pulled up the tunic I wore and slid my hair to the side. It was partially obscured by my breast band but I'm sure the white lines were visible. "Oh my… these are so pretty. Aren't they Brig?" Brig had moved to see and nodded.

"They look like scars." Frail said. I dropped my tunic back down and looked to him. He was glaring at me and then looking to Brig confused. "Come on Brig, we…have hunting duty."

The two shuffled away and Mira was behind me, her hands in my hair. "It's best not to get between them. Frail's liked Brig for as long as they've been with us." That wasn't what worried me.

Why did Brig want to keep him learning sign language a secret?


	14. Dreams Do Fade

The last thing I remember was reading by candle light, or attempting to read.

I still had a lot of trouble with some words in common. When most of your days are spent being taught by a harpy hormonal she-elf who smacks your fingers and slaps the back of your head when you get a word wrong, you start to take matters into your own hand. I had taken to bringing the Chant of Light to my cot with a single candle and reading until my eyes hurt from the strain or until Alon blew the candle out and physically yanked the book from me, claiming I looked constipated with the strain.

But I don't remember any of that, not like usual. I just remember drifting off. I was tired you see, mentally and physically. It'd been a week since my magic manifested, supposedly for the first time. Alise is still under the impression that I know how to suppress it somehow, hide it, but she is still forced to teach me how to harness the magic. Suffice to say, those lessons aren't going quite so well. She keeps insisting that I should be able to feel my mana, that it should be wild and rampant if I've never used it before. An energy that I've never used because it's never had an outlet. I didn't have that and the sooner she learns that the sooner we can move on to figuring out why I have this magic but can't seem to access it again.

Alise's lessons consisted mostly of her going over magical theory with me having to meditate and look inside myself to find my mana. I would then tell her I can't and she would snap saying I was doing something wrong and have to start it over again. I was beginning to see why she was only ever an apprentice in the Circle towers.

After those lessons and right before evening meal, Alon would have me train with the weapons he had picked out for me. Staff and staves, both bladed, as well as quarter staff, two short swords, and throwing daggers. His reasoning being, until I learned to better control my magic, I should know how to defend myself. Which left me bruised, exhausted, and ready to kill Alon. His lessons were harsh and left no room for me to mess up. If I left any of me undefended or move out of the way, he'd slam his dulled blade into me. More than one occasion I felt like my ribs had broken. But no, that was taken care of with an elfroot potion.

Thankfully Emeric was gone doing trades or whatever and I only ever sang at supper once in the past week, and it was just a repeat of Bastille really. Which was fine with me. I don't think I could have attempted something new. But after a week of this day in and day out schedule I was exhausted, ready to keel over. My legs hurt, my mind was trying to learn a new written language and I felt week creatively, I couldn't even draw.

So when I said the last thing I remembered, it means I don't remember falling asleep I was that exhausted. But I do know where I woke up was not where I should be. I should have been sitting in my cot attempting to read the Canticle of Shartan, not waking up in my mattress at home back on Earth.

It was a weird sensation actually. I woke up and I wasn't sore or tired but refreshed. The small loft apartment was exactly as I remember it. Faded red brick walls, gross metal floors covered in area rugs and carpets, and very simplistic living with bookshelves made of old milk crates, lamps made of canvas paper with water color designs on them that when plugged in the room would be caste in colorful glows.

The blanket that covered me was plush and soft. The bed was one area I did not skimp on. I used a good portion of my funds to get them. Cold metal floor shocked me despite the ridiculous amount of rugs, I stepped toward my slippers. _Was it all just a dream?_

It was night but none of my electronics were on. This happened sometime, power outages were common in this part of the city. Slipping through my door, I only just remembered to grab my keys.

 _Was this even real?_

I shuffled down the putrid yellow hallway toward a common area on the second floor. Tenets used the large balcony there to smoke but for the most part they kept the balcony doors open to allow air in during the summer, yet I could feel the frigid cold breeze of autumn. I spotted some of the tenets, at least I think it was them. They were sitting, smoke coming out. Even though the balcony was open the room was hazy and filled with smoke.

"What's happening?" I asked who I thought was Greg from 2L. He looked up and it was wrong. I turned away quickly and faced the balcony. Everything was wrong about his face. There were no eyes, no nose, and no mouth. There were indents but nothing there.

" _Passing the time, Mercedez. Have a smoke with us?_ "

That was Mrs. Jones' voice. I know it was but I shuddered to think of what I'd see. I turned slowly, eyes peeking but what I saw was the old woman I knew and loved. Her stark white hair and dark bronze skin was such a sharp contrast but I loved it. I used to draw her all the time. She always smelled of cats because she had a dozen cats in her apartment on the first floor. Her son-in-law owned the building.

"Mrs. Jones. You know I don't smoke." I said and moved. Greg wasn't there anymore. Perhaps it was just my mind playing tricks.

"Never hurts to ask dear." She placed a pipe at her mouth. That was new. And a flame appeared in her hand. What?! I blinked and there was a lighter and the pipe was a cigarette. How long had I been asleep? I rubbed my eyes and looked around again.

"The power is out."

"The power?" Mrs. Jones looks confused at me for a moment. It's not uncommon for her to have these fits but really? Electricity. I pointed to the ceiling lamp and the hallway sconces. She nods her head and pulls on her cigarette. "Any new men?" Her voice is raspy from the effort of holding in the smoke.

I sigh. Here we go. She was always trying to hook me up with her son-in-law, saying the man needed a nice woman in his life again after her daughter died. I rubbed my forehead as I thought about avoiding the topic or brushing her off but instead I said, "Yes."

"Oh really? Anyone I know?" She coughed toward the end and I smiled, looking to her.

"His name is Alon." I frowned. Alon. Why do I know that name? "He's a war- soldier."

"Oooh that's nice of you. Where does he fight?"

"The storm… um…The Storm Co…" My head felt fuzzy and I blinked. The room was less yellow and more green with each blink.

 _Iraq_.

"He- he's stationed in Iraq." I muttered. There was a voice that just said that. I didn't know where it came from. I looked to Mrs. Jones again but she wasn't there. The room wasn't there and I was standing on a rocky field. The sky and surroundings were a sickly green and brown. Floating rocks everywhere and most importantly nothing had a scent.

 _You are a hard one._ _But so powerful…_

I turned to see a large purple horned woman. She was tall, taller than me and was less than a few inches away. I could feel this searing heat from her but it didn't hurt. Her body was smooth and very feminine and barely covered. Any less clothing and she'd be completely nude. Her talons touched me and scraped down my cheek. This woke me up and I flailed back.

"What the fuck are you?" I said as I moved backward away from her, keeping my eyes on her. "Where am I…?" I looked around quickly.

 _You called to me. I only answered and gave you what you desired._

Desire?

She-it was moving toward me. A long tail came into view and snapped forward grabbing my waist and yanking me closer. "Fuck…" I pushed my arms in front of me and pushed and pushed. Nothing happened.

 _I will do better this time._

No… no. This was bad, so bad. The haziness was coming back and I felt her hands grip me tighter. I needed to _do_ something. I needed to fight her, get away somehow.

The green and brown was fading and I screamed. I wish I could use my magic.

I pushed my hand to her face and thought fire. Nothing. She pulled my hand to my side and the tail wrapped around me binding me and keeping me still. No. No. Think Fire. Think fire!

Red, Hot, searing, burning, sizzling. Anything. I closed my eyes and pictured it, no I _painted_ it.

My eyes snapped open as the scream surrounded me. I was covered in fire and it was everywhere but it wasn't burning me. But she, the demon was burning and flailing backward. The fire wasn't hurting me, wasn't even stinging me like it was the demon. Great licks of flames filled the space, and the demon burned with each tick.

I kept thinking fire. I kept picturing it like I was painting it and it kept growing around me. I don't know how I did it but it was happening. Those terrifying screams got louder the more she burned until eventually she was nothing but a crisp on the floor.

I was tired and the fire was dying, disappearing around me. Was I in the Fade? I looked at the green and brown landscape. Should I expect more demons? I frowned and staggered forward. My feet met the dirt and I sat there while so many questions came to mind.

How did I conjure up fire in the Fade? I thought mages only remembered the Fade, not control it? Why did the demon say I called to her? I don't remember doing any rituals to summon a demon, not that I even knew any.

How do I leave?

Do I just wake-

* * *

I was in the cot, laying down and the Chant of light was on my lap. The candle I had been using was resting on the barrel between the two cots in the tent. Alon lay in his cot, covered in furs and blankets, more than usual due to the chill settling in.

With a tremor, I closed the chant and set it on the barrel and rose. I was up and while my muscles still ached and there was an exhaustion in me like no other, I knew I should go about my day.

Slipping on the trousers and tunics I wore yesterday, I also slipped my jacket on as well. It was a new one from the bag. Alon was nice, said my healing him earned me at least half the contents of the bag which increased my wardrobe to two more of the exact same outfit that the others wore. Though he had muttered about getting me a robe, I hadn't seen it.

I stepped out and bumped right into someone, nearly falling backwards but a hand reached out to steady me.

"Brig!" I halfway screamed but switched to a whisper when he put a sole finger to his lips. "What is it?" I whispered and he waved me toward his tent. The past week I had been so busy I rarely got a chance to teach Brig more sign language. Not to mention occasionally he would stop me whenever Emeric came back or whenever Alon came over.

Entering the tent he shared with Frail, I noticed the rogue and poison expert was missing, his cot already made and shoes missing. Brig gestured for me to sit on Frail's cot. Once settled Brig began signing.

"W-I-S-H-2-L-E-A-R-N-M-O-R-E" Brig spelled out each letter. I hadn't taught him the short cuts because the way I learned was the letters first. We'd been going over each letter whenever we could and he was a fast and adept learner but I was the only one he could practice with, so we spent the dawn trading signs back and forth. I tried not to speak out what I was signing, unless I was instructing, so he'd concentrate on my hands.

We didn't stop until we heard the others begin preparing breakfast. As we exited the tent, a few of the other Blades looked at us funny but I just grinned and Brig shrugged. We grabbed our food and ate. About half way through, he was signing something to me when a scoff and growl let me know Frail was back.

His eyes were heavily bagged and dark. So he had night scout duty? He looked between us and glared, openly, at me. I didn't know what his problem was but I scooted to allow him to sit between Brig and I, which he took, but clung close to the big guy.

"Soo…" I began but Brig interrupted.

"Thinks. You. I. R. Close." Brig signed slowly, only messing up on form but I understood it. I had also taught him the shorthand sissy and I had made because of text speak, merely because it was easier and made our conversations way faster.

"Oh. Well. I don't mean to intrude."

"Well you are. So back off." Frail all but growled at me, fingers gripping tightly to Brig's arm.

"Likes. Me." I had my suspicions about that, plus it was downright obvious. "Not. Feel. Same." Oooh. Well shit. Frail probably thought Brig and I were close-close; that I had intruded on the likelihood of him getting with him.

"What's all this hand waving about anyway?" Frail snorted and munched on his food loudly. "You look like a bunch of imbeciles doing it."

"It's uh…" I looked to Brig to make sure it was okay, he nodded but gestured for me to be quiet. "It is a form of language. I've been teaching it to Brig." His eyes popped and he looked to me and then Brig.

"Oh." Silence and then he rose and walked away.

"Mercy." Alon… oh great. "Mira will be indisposed until tomorrow. You and I will train until it is time for your lessons with Alise." I sputtered out my porridge and glared at him.

"That's six hours!" I yelled and a few people looked to me. Bob laughed, loudly and then began choking.

"Yes. Six hours for you to get better at dodging…if there is any hope in you."

I'm going to die of exhaustion because of combat _training_.


	15. Make Sure To S-I-N-G

Sticky disgustingly sweaty drops of salty water that oozed out of me was pouring down me in droves. No really it was. My little training clothes were drenched in my sweat, my legs caked in mud that had dried, and I think my nose had bled for a little bit at one point because there was a streak of blood on my sleeve. I was heaving with the effort it took to stand up, my mouth shut firmly. Alon had barked at me that I got more thirsty and tired if I left my mouth open. Which is true, but Andraste's ass let me rest the way I want to.

We weren't done, oh no. This was hour four, at least I think so. The sun, which was normally hidden away behind clouds was actually out, lighting up the entire encampment. Most of the blades were out enjoying the sun while doing their daily duties, like hunting, scouting, fishing, collecting water and the like. But a few remained here, and those handful were watching Alon all but slaughter me in an effort to teach me how to fight.

Alon, the insufferable bastard that he was, said I was going to use iron practice swords. They were heavier than the wooden ones but he said I was getting used to the weight. And I couldn't complain.

No really, he told me I wasn't allowed to complain the moment I opened my mouth.

He, however, kept switching the weapons he used. "You won't fight opponents who will only have one weapon on them. Many carry several if the weight isn't too cumbersome. You will have to learn to adapt to each of them."

He switched only when I learned how to block a specific kind of weapon, which took most of each hour. Though the shock he had when I blocked and even nicked him a bit, when he was using a long sword. He had shown a brief proud smile before grabbing a different weapon.

"Can–" I glared at him as a slow smile appeared. " _May_ I take a break?" I wheezed and all but collapsed when he gave a curt nod. I moved toward where my water skin was and there holding it out to me was Frail. Suspicious of the water, he rolled his eyes at me and took a swig. I still didn't trust it because hey, I was lacking in the poison department. Still, if I would die of poison now that would suit me fine.

"You're doing better. Might I make a suggestion?" If looks could kill, Frail would be ten feet under. "You'll do better with it. Watch Alon's footwork. Notice how he never crosses his feet. You do that, which is why you end up on your arse more often than not." A single eyebrow raise and I looked to Alon. That… that was true. Sparing a glance at Frail who only crossed his arms and gestured for me to drink. Was it worth it? Yes.

After downing nearly half the water skin I moved back into the fenced training yard. I watched Alon walk back in when he stopped having some kind of conversation with Bryant and noticed I was ready again. His feet were always a shoulder's distance away from each other.

"I think a new weapon is in order." He smiled at me and picked up a staff.

"I thought only mages used staffs?" I got into position and watched him handle the large weapon – _pfft_ – easily.

He froze and looked to me with a confused expression. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

Truthfully, the fact that all mages in the games and books carried a staff and maybe a dagger and no one else used staffs? "Well… staffs are used to channel mana right?"

Alon quirked an eyebrow up and smirked. "All weapons can be used to channel mana, you just need the right enchantment and ability to handle the weapon."

Why were arcane warriors and knight enchanters such a big deal then?

"But I understand your confusion. Mages are most often seen with staffs, staves, and quarter staffs because it allows for a large area for their magic to be cast in. But I assure you, warriors use staffs too. Bladed staffs and bladed staves are quite popular in Orlais."

That was new and makes sense. It also explains why in the second game even with Anders and Merrill who were both so clearly carrying around a staff, would not have been caught by the Templars and brought in on that account. Though the abomination's robes might have given pause.

"Also, if it was only ever mages who used staffs, Templars would have no problem tracking them down. But not all mages use staffs. Some are quite adept at using their magic without one, or some have an enchanted tome they carry around that serves as the medium." Alon's hands lifted the staff up and gave a practiced twirl, his body moving with it to show he knew how to use it. He stuck it in the dirt and kicked out and twirled around, then let it fall and used his feet to kick it back up.

"Woah…"

"I'm a little out of practice but it will come back to me." Just how many weapons was Alon proficient in?!

It made sense too. Staffs and staves were used back home and we didn't have magic to use as an excuse. We used them as weapons just like any others. Pursing my lips I braced myself, watching Alon twirl the staff. It made me think of flag team and when I used to twirl batons. Don't laugh, and don't assume I was a cheerleader. I just liked handling poles. Oh maker, that sounded wrong.

Alon came at me this time and I barely had time to side step away, but he caught me with the end of the staff, hooking it under my leg and tripping me. I fell on my side right to the floor. Mud splashed to my face and I groaned. A split second and the staff was coming down to my face. I rolled away.

"Fuck…" I groaned and scrambled up and away from Alon as he, light as ever on his feet moved toward me, the staff balanced behind his back and he dipped one end down and splashed up mud with his foot. I covered my face and then felt myself fall again, but I was caught.

"Too close." Alon whispered and I looked behind to see the fence post that I nearly bludgeoned my head on. "Try not to fall into that." He righted me and stepped back. This time he waited for me to make the first move.

I charged, his staff blocked the short swords I flung up and then my right hand flung down, but he moved out of the way with that, taking the staff with him and smacking the back of my head lightly. He twirled, and I watched his feet. Never once did they cross like I did with mine.

I pushed myself at him, dulled blades feinting an attack up and there, he had an opening! His leg came up and kicked me in the abdomen and I stumbled back.

"Don't always assume that because my weapon is preoccupied that I can't defend myself in some other way." He spouted out cheerily. I deserved that. I really did but I was getting annoyed now.

I charged again, this time I made sure my legs didn't cross when I side stepped. He managed to only trip one leg which I recovered. Childhood ballet coming back to me as I balanced on one foot but that victory stopped right there as his body stumbled me back and I caught myself.

"Good." Was his simple praise, but it wasn't enough.

Huffing, I charged again, but this time I brought the short swords up yet I put the weight toward the pommel and smacked his head with it while he had been focused on blocking the blade. He stumbled back and I smirked, until the staff hit my ribs and effectively knocked the wind out of me. I hit the floor with a splash of mud, again.

"Ugh…"

"That was clever. Dangerous, but clever."

"Water…" I groaned into the mud, not even caring that it was practically in my mouth.

"Go on."

I crawled toward the water skin and drank more, spitting mud and dirt out. Frail was still there.

"He favors his left side."

"What?" Frail didn't repeat what he said but walked away and was sharpening his own daggers with a whetstone.

Taking a breather, I stood up and Alon was there holding out a red potion. I uncorked it and drank it down in one gulp. "You'll need more, later. I might have hit you a tad too hard in the ribs." For emphasis his hand reached there and pressed. Pain exploded and I shied away from his touch. "If you wish to continue tomorrow you can." He looked apologetic and concerned.

"One more?" I must be suicidal or something. He nodded and readied himself.

Peeking at where Frail was watching I considered his words. Favors his left side huh? I narrowed my eyes as I watched Alon's movements. I couldn't tell at first but there. What happened on the left side that makes him cover it a bit more than his right?

Rolling my shoulders I got into position and instead of charging him, I inched around the training yard. Alon narrowed his eyes at me and mirrored my movements. I bounced on the balls of my feet as we circled each other, dancing essentially. My eyes tracked his movements. He kept the staff wrapped around his arm essentially, or rather his arm wrapped around the staff and held backwards ready to strike forward.

"What are you doing?"

"Watching."

Bob had come up to watch and I could hear him and Bryant exchanging bets.

We did a full circle around each other before I made a move. But I didn't charge for him, I went to try and get behind him. Failure, utter failure because he turned and caught his staff on the hook of my arm and pushed me back. I managed to land ready to jump back up and I did. Yet in the process I lost one sword that went flying.

I hadn't lost grip on my weapons since the first few days of training and this embarrassed me to no end. Yet I knew I'd have to continue without it.

Checks red, I scrambled up as Alon came forward, staff trying to trip me up as he swept it across the floor. I jumped the first and second, but the third sweep he caught me and I fell, on top of his staff. Maker! Why is my head in the gutter today?

He couldn't move it with me on top so he was yanking it out but I gripped the end with my free hand and held on. Could I actually take his weapon from him like this? I looked into his eyes as he tried to yank it free from my grasp but I gripped it like my life depended on it.

"Mercy…"

"Alon." I snickered as I yanked on my end of the staff and he let go and I fell back. He stepped forward and made to grab the staff from my hand but years of flag team let me twirl it in one hand and it caught him right between the legs. His eyes wide as I hit him in a very bad and sensitive spot.

Laughter from Bob, Bryant and Frail could be heard at that.

I almost felt bad but he didn't fall and clutch his groin like most guys back home would have, instead he managed to step over the staff and tried to grab it but I decided to play keep away. I flung the staff out of the training area. His brows rose at that but then he stepped on my wrist, the one attached to the hand that held the only weapon left in the training ring.

"Ow!"

"I think you…" He wheezed. I could tell he was still hurt by the smack to his boys I did. "You're getting much better. But we're done."

No way are we done.

I relaxed my wrist and then grabbed his ankle and yanked. He grunted as I tipped him off balance. I rolled away and just managed to get up when his arms came around me from behind, the short sword knocked out of my hand and forgotten.

"That's enough."

"Oh no..." I rasped out. "No way are we –pant– done."

"You have no weapon, my hand is at your throat. If I had pulled one of my daggers out, you would be unable to move without harm. We're done." He said. His hand hovered by my throat for emphasis. "There is no move you could do to get out."

I grinned and caught the eyes of Frail, Bob, and Bryant. They looked mightily impressed.

"Oh I don't know… I could SING."

"What?"

"Solar Plexus!" I jabbed my elbow into his abdomen right where I knew to. I didn't stop even when I heard him grunt in pain. "Instep!" I stepped on his foot as hard as I could, feeling him bend down and clutch his side. "Nose." I managed to back hand his face right in his nose. "Groin." And the kicker, another hit to his boys and he grunted in pain.

There were shouts of amazement from those watching and a whining wheeze from Alon as he fell to the floor. I stepped away quickly and faced him, just in case he got back up.

"Andraste's flaming knickers, woman! That was beautiful!" Bob was falling over himself laughing. "Scuse the slur."

"Maker's balls, Mercy. You've got some… well balls!" Bryant cried while slapping his knee.

"Sorry… you just..." I tried to say to Alon as I watched him groaning into his hand.

"No… no. Deserved that, I suppose." He wheezed into his hand. I moved to help him up, my arm gripping his but he yanked me down into the mud with him rolling over to pin me under him.

"Ugh…How… I just knew you'd do that and I let it happen anyway." I grunted as I just lay in the mud, not even caring with the amount of mud that already covered me.

Alon was shaking. I thought I might have really hurt him and he was crying or something until I heard a snort. I lifted him up and he was laughing at me cheerily between cringes of pain. He rested his head on my shoulder once he calmed down and still keeping me in place under him. "I will admit that… I did not expect that." He was pulling off me now. Though he winced inwardly once, he seemed to have recovered. I got up and he grabbed my hand to help me up.

"Who taught you that?"

"A lovely woman by the name of Gracie Hart." I snickered to myself. These people would never know.

"So you do know some combat?" Alon pinched me and gestured for me to pick up the tossed aside practice weapons. Which I did, considering I don't think he could have bent down to pick them up. I set them all back in the shed.

"Well. No. Where I'm from, it is self-defense, not really for offensive attacks." His brows rose but he nodded. "Well, I should probably go clean up." I muttered and he nodded. He had a bit of waddle to his walk just then and the others seemed to have noticed because as I ducked into the tent I heard laughter fill the encampment.

Cleaning mud off the practice gear takes a bit of time and patience. Of which I had none, especially when my ribs began screaming in pain and I couldn't quite bend down anyway. So I stayed on my knees while I cleaned. And rather than get cleaned up completely I had decided to clean the gear first and then clean myself up.

So when Alon walked in on me naked from the waist up, kneeling in the middle of the tent, you should know I didn't scream. We share a tent for fuck's sake. We've seen each other's bits here and there. But never a full on show or on display in the light of day.

He stood there just inside the flap of the tent and I stared up at him. I think he was trying to say something because his mouth was opening and closing while his face turned red.

"Well, uh…" I managed to say and that broke the spell of shock and he turned.

"I apologize. I should have…"

"Sorry I just needed to…"

We both stopped and I giggled madly. Yes I giggled. And then he left and I couldn't help myself but laugh. Hypocrite! He just walked in on me when he knew I was cleaning up. I suppose he thought I'd clean myself first like some vain girl.

Okay maybe I would have. But getting dried mud off practice gear is hard. So better do it while some of it is wet.

I finished up and then cleaned myself. I couldn't do a thorough cleaning but I was slowly getting used to it. Cleaned the important bits, and got my hair at least manageable so I could braid it again, but I decided to forgo the braid in the end. I let it hang loose and as I left the tent I could hear more of the others were back and eating lunch.

There were a lot of laughter and snickering and as I got closer to grab my own plate I heard Bryant and Bob regaling everyone with how I bested Alon for one brief shining moment. Occasionally Frail piped up with some small detail that sent everyone tittering in peals of laughter.

I sat next to Jany, who seemed a little lonely with Mira gone.

"Congratulations are in order. I never got the upper hand on Alon. But you did so with no weapon at all." The elf smirked and tipped his ale mug to me. I wasn't much for drinking ale like everyone here. It was the only beverage they had aside from water, that and some Orlesian wines or Antivan brandy I saw Emeric break out once.

"Yeah. It was nice for once."

"Where did you learn to do that?" Jany asked as he pulled out a block of wood and began to whittle.

"Oh some mov-" I paused. How do you explain movies without technology? Plays? "You know what plays are right?" At his nod I continued. "Back home, we have thousands of plays and one of them was about a woman named Gracie Hart. She had to enter a contest to save the people from ter-uh a rogue warrior. And she had to go und-um in disguise, which meant no weapons. Part of the contest was displaying a skill and she showed how even if you are without weapons you can still defend yourself."

It felt weird talking about home like this, even if it was something so small.

"How peculiar. Your home sounds unusual." He stopped whittling as I finished eating. "This Ser Gracie Hart, was she a revered woman?"

"Not exactly… it was just a character in the play." Jany nodded and turned back to whittling.

"Where is your home?"

"Not here…" He looked to me, his ears twitched. They actually moved as he peered at me.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… not in Thedas."

"Par Vollen then? I would have thought the Qunari wouldn't-"

"No… not Par Vollen either. Not anywhere here. I guess… beyond?" I was under prepared. I hadn't actually thought how I would cover this if asked where I was from. I was just too busy surviving and distracting myself from everything.

"I see." Jany looked to me and then smiled. "Alon and many of the others think you've come from the Maker's side."

"What?"

"I don't. But then again I'm not wholly Andrastian either." This he said lower, almost like a whisper to me. "I can tell you aren't either. Or rather you're not taken with it all."

"How… How do you know?" I muttered softly. He gave me a sad smile.

"You don't sit in reverence like the others. I don't either. My… mother she was Dalish before she left due to there being too many mages and she rather she left than make one of the younger ones be forced out. She joined the Blades because they took her in but she told me stories of the creators when I was a child. While I do believe in the Maker, I just don't think he's the only god out there."

That was rather progressive of him.

"If…" Jany quieted down as Bob got too close as he stumbled off to the latrines. "If you ever need to talk about your home. I'd like to hear. I think my mother told me stories of the creators because she missed them. You remind me of her and I can see you're still adjusting."

Tears pricked my eyes and I looked down. I didn't really consider Jany a close friend and yet he was offering to listen? Mira was so lucky to have him.

"Where…" I coughed to clear my throat. "Where is Mira anyway?"

"Ah. She's gone to visit a midwife healer in Crestwood." Jany's face brightened. "We've been trying for so long. I can't wait until the baby is born, but she's only just starting to show."

"I'm happy for you. Do you have names picked out yet?" He grinned and we delved into a small conversation about names for boys and girls. It was odd doing this with the father rather than the mother but he seemed equally pleased to do it. I could tell he wanted a girl too.

Lunch finished and then it was prayer. I grabbed my copy of the chant of light and sat there attempting to read through the Canticle of Trials, softly sounding out the words and pulling my cheat sheet out to make sure I recognized the characters correctly. It was a very slow process and I barely got through two verses in the one hour. And all too soon it was time for my lesson with Alise.

I could see her walking out of her tent with a book and a scowl as she saw me. I just got to her when a sound rippled through the encampment. It sounded like a horn. I looked to Alise who had already dropped the book and was sprinting towards the entrance like the others. I watched as a heavily wounded Delphine came rushing in.

"Mercy. Stay in the tent. You are not ready for combat."

"What's happening?"

"Stay in the tent!" Alon pushed me into Alise's tent with a note of finality.


	16. Shields And Pyres

I probably should have stayed in the tent. That seemed like a sensible command from Alon. Stay in the tent because I'm only just now beginning to learn how to fight even remotely okay. So why did I stupidly go out there?

There had been a long moment of silence, no noise except for the wind and then suddenly it was filled to bursting with clashing metal and the sounds of spells being cast. I had seen Alise cast magic a few times now and the same whirring sound accompanied it so I could distinguish when magic was being used. Only this sounded like there were more of them as in more than one mage and that was disconcerting.

I was still by the flap of the tent so I heard everything clearly and then I did something incredibly stupid. I pulled the flap back to peek out just in time to see a flash of white cloth and silverite armor. The helmet had a point at the top and several holes for both sight and breathing in front. The enemy carried one sword and was equally armored all around, from vambraces to pauldrons to heavily armored greaves. Then he turned and I caught the image embroidered on the cloth hanging from his belt. It was a curved snake.

Only I knew it wasn't a snake. It was a dragon. Tevinter. But these weren't Tevinter Imperium sanctioned soldiers. These were Venatori.

I didn't have much time to wonder about that because the zealot spotted me and was charging forward to me. I shouldn't have peeked out and if I ducked back in I'd be trapped. So I darted out and ran for the training yard. Only that wasn't a smart move because there was a barely dressed gladiator, large shield held out in front of him as Brig tried to push him back.

I darted away from them and was met with Alise surrounded by three mages all taking pot shots at her with fireballs and she had a basic shield around her. I could see and taste the mana and lyrium as it hummed and crackled in the air. I decided that wasn't a good spot either but it was too late.

I turned to hear the crunch of boots and saw the zealot coming for me but he stopped and fell over. Frail was there two daggers yanking out of the zealot and he eyed me. "Duck!" He was charging toward me.

Like an idiot, instead of ducking I turned and one of the fireballs meant for Alise had bounced off and was coming for me. I had a split second decision and I didn't make the right one.

I pulled my hands up to cover my face in hopes that my arms would protect me and instinctually closed my eyes. I felt fire burn at my forearms briefly for a moment and then it was gone.

It felt like I was healing again, only not. I wasn't healing, or the painting feeling I got when I was. This was different and as I opened my eyes I noticed the bleeding green film that covered my hands. It was like an aura that projected off me.

The next thing I noticed was a blue barrier. Only it wasn't like in the games. It was more like a shield that projected out in front of me rather than cover me.

"Keep doing whatever you're doing." Frail growled and he was walking around the shield to attack and kill one of the bewildered spellbinders.

I don't know how I was doing it but I kept up it up as best as I could. I thought things like shield, barrier, protect, anything but then I felt myself getting tired. The aura was disappearing as was the shield. A large hand gripped my shoulder and began pulling me back. I turned, screaming as my arms lit up like a tesla coil and whoever was touching me went down in a tazed glory.

"Oh!" It was Brig. He looked at me while shaking but pointed behind him where the dead gladiator lay with his head smashed in. I looked away before I could take it in. I was poisoned and out of my mind last time I saw a dead body, I was sure not going to see one while sober. Brig pushed me out of the way as his maul came up and blocked a brute's attack.

"Mercy!" I turned toward the voice and saw Beltrude, her eyes tear filled and begging. Next to her was Dugan. "Help him please…" She was crying. I moved toward her, tired and exhausted already.

"Tired…" I muttered but landed on my knees by the bleeding horsemaster. He was injured, blood was everywhere. A blue vial was thrust into my hands and I didn't even think as I downed it. It was lyrium. I had a brief moment of panic when I realized this followed by my skin tingling and electrifying. The world came into focus and suddenly I wasn't quite so tired anymore.

That same green aura covered me and my hands hovered over Dugan automatically. He wasn't in good shape. He had arrows everywhere and the heads of the arrows had all broken inside of him. We had to dig them out, no cut them out. No way would he survive if I left them. I could see them digging preventing natural healing processes from taking over. I couldn't heal effectively with those in, they'd undo the work.

My hands hovered elsewhere to see if I could heal somewhere else and there was Dugan's head. A blunt force hit it and oh… _oh_ _no_.

He was bleeding too much and losing too much blood and on top of that his spine was snapped. Could I even heal that? Thedas wouldn't have wheelchairs like at home if he ended up paralyzed. I don't think I could heal it, not with the amount of injuries he has.

I felt the tears come to my eyes and I looked up at Beltrude who was whispering to Dugan. "It's okay Father. She'll heal you. Like she healed Alon."

I barely managed to choke back a sob. Beltrude was Dugan's daughter and I had to tell her he wouldn't make it. I was an artist, not a doctor and certainly not a nurse. H-How could I look at those amber eyes and tell him he wasn't going to make it? I stared at him, understanding clouded his eyes when he saw my tears. He nodded and gripped _my_ hand, comforting _me._

A minute passed and he was gone. His eyes dead and cloudy, skin pale and Beltrude was sobbing, begging me to help. A hand reached past me and brought Dugan's eyelids down to close them.

"Bel…" It was Alise. "He… wouldn't have survived long enough for any magic to help him."

"No! You just have to try… please. Just try. He can't be…"

I barely registered the sound of fighting dying behind me. Only when I stood did I see the other blades. Many of them injured but the Venatori all but dead.

I could feel the lick of lyrium in me still but I felt useless until Bryant was guiding me where some of the most injured of ours sat. When did I start thinking of them as _ours_?

Those who could walk easier were beginning to gather the bodies and Alon was pulling Beltrude up and away from her father.

Bryant pushed me down roughly, my rib pain forgotten as I bent over Delphine. The aura encompassing me entirely. I healed. I didn't understand how it worked when I could barely picture it. I think that's why it took so long for each. But by the time the corpses were all cleared, I was covered in blood and pale, swaying in my seat.

"-lyrium?" My head snapped up as I looked at Alise. She held a bottle out to me and I shook my head. "There wasn't anything you could have done."

"Wasn't there? I had healed Alon's wounds and my own. Why couldn't I have tried to push out the arrows?"

"It wouldn't have worked."

"What?" I eyed Alise.

"Most arrows are designed to have the head become stuck inside of you, preventing healing or any chance of survival. There were too many, even if we had dug them out from inside him… he wouldn't have made it. His spine." Alise sat next to me. She held out a cloth for me and I began wiping away the blood.

"Snapped, right?"

"He wouldn't have been able to walk. It's an act of mer–" She frowned. "Charity letting him die now rather than slowly and without dignity."

That's not how it works back home. We save them. Disabled people can lead fulfilling lives back home. But then again we have the technology. People here, this place I've been sent to. They don't. They die, easily and for reasons that don't happen back home, or they don't happen as often as they do here.

Gang green getting into the blood stream because a wound hadn't been properly cleaned. An infected foot injury. Choking on food. Falling and breaking your leg. Poison. Illness and diseases that had been practically eradicated back home.

And just as easily as Dugan had passed, so too could I.

* * *

Pyres had been set up on the coast. The spray of the ocean made the sunny day too bright and happy. I was part of the group assigned to strip search each of the Venatori. It was already being discussed about why Imperials were in Southern Thedas. I wondered if I should speak up about it but how would I explain what Corypheus is or… will be?

I removed useful armor and weapons. Any clothes as well was taken off and piled up. Alon said the arms and armaments would be used as scrap metal for Walter to work with in the other camps. The cloths would be repurposed as rags.

In total there had been eleven of the Venatori. I pulled papers and coin out from their purses, ignoring the blood or caved in heads. "They are just cadavers." I muttered to myself. I didn't want to see them as people, even though they were. I just knew I'd be sick if I did. I read nothing in the papers and deposited the coins quickly into a bag.

When I was done, I watched Brig, Bob, and Patrice heft the bodies into a pile on the pyre. It was all methodical and done as quickly and neatly as possible. Then it was lit, bodies burning and I turned away before the smell could reach me. I clambered over the rocks and stream and headed right for the encampment just in time to see Bryant, Beltrude, Emeric, and Alon carry out Dugan's readied corpse together on a slab of wood.

I wanted to head to my tent but Jany grabbed me and set me to help him prepare a large feast. I said nothing as my fingers moved the knives, chopping up every bit of thing he gave me. I even helped with skinning a ram, although I was terrible at it. Then he brought out a large bowl of dough and had me soften it with some quick kneading before he placed it by the cooking fire on a slab of rock. This took the better part of the rest of the afternoon.

It was nightfall already when the others returned. Brig, Bob, and Patrice were covered in soot and promptly went to wash. Bryant and Beltrude retreated to their tent. Emeric and Alon came right for me. Alon grabbed me by the arm and dragged me up and away with them into Emeric's cabin.

I had barely registered that Emeric was back when I was pushed into a chair.

"What?" I managed to rasp out.

"They were here for _you_." Alon's voice was steely and barley containing his thinly veiled anger. He was looking at me with accusations ready. The words sunk in.

"Me? Why me?" I gaped.

"You tell me, _Mercy_." His voice was heavy with emotion and his hands were gripped into fists.

"Alon." Emeric had been silent the entire time but he looked to his lieutenant sharply then pointed to the door. Alon was stiff before he gave a simple salute and walked out. "I think it's time we discuss how you came to be on the shore."


	17. Ritualistic

I've had this conversation a few times. In my head, that is. Where I explained where I'm from and my theories of how I had gotten here. Normally it was my mind's version of Iron Bull, or Varric, or maybe even Leliana, not Emeric. I had figured I probably wouldn't ever have to explain it to the Blades. I guess I was wrong.

"Be honest. I know you have lied prior to this moment." Emeric poured himself a goblet of ale and sat drinking, staring at me while I tried to form the words.

With Iron Bull I had imagined that I'd bring up I knew how his previous name was Hissrad and his time in Seheron. Though my mind's version of the Qunari would likely kill me right then. It was no better with Leliana. With the Nightingale I had a feeling she'd torture me for more information, keep me locked up in Haven's cells and drag as much information as she could get.

You know what they say? Your imagination is a warped and wicked thing when you turn it toward causing pain, destruction, and harm. The things I imagined I would be tortured with was…unpleasant. Left me up all night one day.

With Varric, I imagined it'd go far better. The dwarf would probably consider it a fantastical story until he realized I wasn't lying and then be in denial over the impending Corypheus, Venatori, and Red Templar attack. Speaking of Venatori, why were they after me? And the thought of the Red Templars reminded me they would actually be here on the Storm Coast, wouldn't they? I distinctly remember them showing up there…er here.

Nonetheless, no matter how I imagined the conversation going I would end up in a cell in Haven being interrogated by Leliana and Iron Bull combined. It wasn't a fun thought.

"Mercy?" I looked to Emeric and he was pouring himself another ale. Had I just zoned out?

"It's hard to explain." I paused, licking my lips. "I told Alon I wasn't from Thedas. Or Par Vollen. I come from beyond, not of these lands. As far as I know I was on a pla- …" I nearly said plane but coughed into my hand. "Ship. A shipwreck and then I fell over board and ended up on the coast."

Emeric sat there, drinking while staring at me for a long time. He didn't look particularly menacing but I remember what he tried to get me to do the last time I was in here, in his cabin. He gave a great big sigh. "I suppose I won't get the truth from you given our past thus far."

"I am telling the truth!"

"Mercy, it is alright. I doubt those Imperials were actually looking for you." He poured more ale and drank while sliding papers toward me. "Read."

I couldn't make out much aside from the phrase, water, shore, on the beach. My grasp on the language was still very shaky. There was something about power, great power. "I can't read it all but it really doesn't sound like me. What is this great power?"

"They are looking for a woman, who would have washed ashore. There is a warning of how she might be dangerous to use caution for she would have great power." Emeric looked to me.

"And Alon thinks this is me? I can barely hurt a fly much less a person." I snorted, pushing the papers back.

"You see my point. But while I'd like to know where you come from, it doesn't matter. Your past doesn't matter. You're one of us now."

"What?" I sat upright peered at him.

"You'll take the oath and become a Blade of Hessarian.

"The oath?" Emeric nodded at my words with a small smile. He rose and opened the door. He called out to someone and Emeric sat down with Alise walking in softly. She looked to me with her brows rose, questioning.

"You've complained about her magic. Did you sense it when she was casting?" Emeric said to the mage as she walked in. Could my magic be invisible to everyone here because it's not the same?

"I sense it. But…" Well there goes that thought.

"But?" Emeric drained his ale.

"It is as though she's never used her magic before." She frowned. "Her mana reserve is so low, it reminds me of when a mage first comes into their magic. They have very little mana and it's barely able to power a simple fire spell, let alone to heal." Alise gulped and looked to me again, this time with a deep set frown.

"But what mana she does have… she expends far too quickly, so she tires too fast. Yet her style of her magic suggests some form of sophistication in training or at least an exercise to visualize what she wants to do with it; which you cannot learn unless you made a deal with a demon, which I would be able to sense if she were possessed, or went to the circle. It is peculiar but…"

Alise gave me a heartfelt smile. "…we are lucky her healing is quite advanced. I don't think Delphine would have lived had I been in charge of healing."

Alise and I made eye contact and she gave me a thankful smile. I'd say she gave me a fair assessment, plus it sort of makes sense. I'm no expert on magic though but maybe my having been an artist let me visualize my magic easier?

"Good. You may leave Alise. Bring Alon back in, provided he isn't being a petulant child with a temper tantrum." Emeric snorted and poured more ale, but this time he poured three. One goblet was slid to me as Alise walked out with a salute. Emeric meandered toward the hearth where he plonked three logs in and the fire was stoked to encompass them.

It was a long minute of silence between us before Alon walked in. He didn't once look at me but I could see his jaw was tense, his shoulders squared as he looked up to Emeric. "I trust your outburst is done?" Alon gave a curt nod and Emeric continued. "When I earned my right to lead the Blades, to become the hand of the sword, I swore we would take anyone and everyone just like my predecessor. Your origins do not matter so long as you were honest and devout to Andraste, and would fight as one with the rest of us."

"You cannot be serious." Alon spoke out of turn and he knew it as he swallowed and looked down. Emeric was patient though, looking at Alon like he would at a child.

"I have received your reports of her progress, and I think it is time."

Time for what?

"Prepare the others."

* * *

Everyone in the encampment was congregated in a half circle. I was at the center of it, unwillingly. Alon had told me to kneel there, so I kneeled. I watched the others watching me. Then a low drum beat started, and I peeked behind me to see Bryant and Bob pounding on large wide drums.

The only light in the encampment was the bonfire, its heat licked through the air as more logs were added to it, causing it to grow taller and taller. Its crackle was the only sound around me besides the beat of the drums. Then, crunching footsteps drew me to look where the circle opened and Alon placed an opened book in front of me and pointed to a small couple of lines.

"You will speak the second line of each, when prompted." He whispered to me stiffly and then he was gone, moving to stand off to the side.

The beats were slow at first but they had picked up speed, then a small horn was sounded. The door to Emeric's cabin opened and the man walked out. He wore his red armor as usual but he had a bundle in his arm and wore a bear pelt over his head. A goblet was set in front of me by the book. Its burgundy liquid was thick and sweet, its fumes permeating up. I couldn't help but breathe it in.

"Brothers, Sisters. We are here to honor a fallen blade, and to welcome another into our midst." Emeric's voice was booming and drew attention. It was firm, uplifting, and carried. "Dugan… was a father…" I heard Beltrude sob from behind me. "A brother." Bryant's drumming halted a moment before he continued softly. "And a friend." Emeric gave a pointed sad look to Alon who stood beside him.

"He was our stablemaster and a fiercesome warrior. Dugan will never be forgotten." Emeric's form paced around the half circle, slowing to place a hand on a shoulder or touch a cheek. A silence fell as Emeric stood at the head of the half circle. I watched a few people close their eyes, some looked toward the sky, and others looked down.

"Now, we welcome a new sword, a new convert into our midst. A healer. One who has singlehandedly saved not one, but three of our own from certain death." Emeric stared me down.

Three? I know I saved Alon, but who else?

"We thank you." Chorused around me in a murmur, and then it grew louder as they repeated it.

"Mercy." I swallowed as Emeric stalked forward. The firelight cast shadows in all the wrong spots, making Emeric appear like a stalking bear as he hunched down to touch my shoulder, his thumb at my collarbone and pushing me to lean back. I did, and it was Emeric's hold that kept me from falling over.

"You were lost."

"As were we all." The blades chanted.

The words were on the edge of my tongue but before I could say them, a wet hand touched my forehead. Emeric smeared the sloppy liquid across my face and painted it. His eyes glittered from underneath the mouth of the bear. "G-grant me purpose." I stuttered and he nodded.

"You were unhearing."

"As were we all."

Emeric painted more on my face, sliding his fingers down my throat. I gulped but his eyes bore into mine. "L-let m-me ob-obey…" The heat of the fire was stifling, and the saccharine fumes were heady.

The goblet was lifted and placed in front of my lips but not tilted.

"You are the sword."

"As are we all." The group's voice was one as Emeric nodded his head.

"Wield me in her name." The words had barely registered as the goblet was tilted and the plasma like drink rolled down my throat like love potion number nine. It was sticky, even as I swallowed multiple times. Then the goblet was pulled away. Emeric dipped his head to me, the vacant empty eyes of the bear stared me down.

The world around me filled with a slow clapping and then it was thunderous. The bear lifted off me, righting me to sit up. His hand gripping mine and pulled me to stand.

I looked around to the others, seeing their smiles and nods at me. I turned to Alon who gave me a cold stare but still gave applause, his attention shifted to Emeric who looked to me. His lips moved but nothing sounded except for the clapping which steadily grew louder and more thunderous.

I looked around but no one was clapping anymore. No one was really moving but their eyes… their eyes looked confused, some even looked worried. Then Alise moved, slowly and steadily, hand outstretched as if placating.

A loud resounding crack rose above the thunderous clapping and then the world exploded in green.

The bonfire cracked open, spewing wraiths and terrors and the sickly green of the fade ripped up into the sky. I watched as the columns around me broke, walls came crashing down, and everything erupted into flames. Griffins scattered but they were caught within the explosion's radius and then a dragon, sickly and red burned and a sun died in front of me.

The landscape became rocky, a green tornado lifted broken statues and bits of the building. I look to my left and saw a servant burn. Her skin blackened and turned to char, her mouth opened to scream but she was dead before the sound could come out. Her hair gone, her clothes decimated. Only her skeletal remains and charred burnt flesh remain in the kneeled position she had been in. A porcelain pot lay next to her.

I wanted to throw up, I wanted to cry but all I could do was watch as the world around me was destroyed. Terrors, wraiths, and shades came crashing down and soldiers fought them. No one saw me, no one acknowledged me. I was a silent observer, a watcher. Uninvolved.

The gravel shifted with footsteps and I looked behind me. A lone figure walked toward the epicenter. I could see the icy frost that surrounded them, and as they got closer I saw more and more. A green shirt, a staff made of wood, tan skin, a pelt of some kind worn over him. And then as I could see his face, I noticed it hanging from a necklace, a canine… no a wolf jaw.

"Solas?" I didn't even know my voice worked but the figure or elf stopped. His head rose and between the glinting teeth of the wolf pelt I saw grey eyes that peered into mine with confusion.

"Fen'ha-"


	18. Improbable

I woke up in my cot but not in my tent. This was a decidedly different tent. It was canvas beige, and there were two other cots. My cot was pushed to the furthest bit with a single barrel on the end where my feet were. My bag of clothes, boots, and other possessions were on top of the barrel. The tent was empty, but I knew which tent this was. I spent enough time in it teaching Brig sign language. I had an idea as to why I was in here rather than in the tent with Alon.

Shifting the thin blanket off, I stood up and spied the bucket with a bar of grey soap the others in the camp used. I'd run out of toiletries a while ago but the soap sufficed. I pulled my clothes out, and found a robe on top. It was new and looked nearly identical to Alise's with the same style of sash. I unfolded it and smiled. It had bear pelt pauldrons, like Alise's, that gave me the fluffy shoulder mage look I always saw in the games.

I washed and dressed, pulling on the new robe. I felt warm, warmer than I normally do in my scout's jacket. I felt the fabric and sensed the hum of lyrium. A rune? Was it just magical cold resistance? Did they put enchantments on armor as well as weapons? Yanking my boots on, I laced them and walked out.

The encampment was abuzz with activity. I went to go help Jany prepare whatever meal he was working on but a hand halted me.

"My tent." Alise pulled me back to her tent, pushing me to sit down. The smell of boiling herbs let me know she was making elfroot potions and something else.

"So. What exactly happened after I drank that stuff?" I decided not to mention my dream, for now. How would I describe it? I'd have to reveal I came from somewhere that knew future events, and so far Emeric didn't even believe me that I wasn't from Thedas.

"You fell unconscious…" Her pause made me lean forward as she sliced open a bud of blood lotus.

"And?" I prompted.

"Your magic flared."

"How?"

"I don't know. But your entire body was engulfed in your aura. Normally only other mages see it, but yours… everyone saw it. I asked Emeric what was in the goblet and it was a mixture of lyrium, elfroot potion, and a blood lotus potion." Alise said softly, shook her head and then came to me. "But your magic… your mana was…is, it's a lot bigger, deeper. I don't know how to describe it and it worries me. Doesn't it worry you?"

Alise had sat across from me on another cot. I frowned as I thought about it. A lot of things worried me. For instance, me still being here, me being a mage of all things, the impending Breach, the Venatori that apparently had been searching for me or well someone who had washed ashore and had great power. There were a lot of things that worried me right then, including the whole magic business. But it seemed less important than other matters.

"Yes." Alise breathed a sigh. "But I try to put it out of my mind."

"Why? It's your magic. It's not acting normal-"

"But that's just it right? Magic isn't normal? Right? Magic defies physics." I tried but she looked at me like I had two heads.

"Magic exists naturally as a gift from the maker." Alise insisted. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and instead let her go on. "Magic is our connection to the fade, what makes us special." Alise reached for my hands. "This connection…" Her hand that held mine erupted in a swirling green mist, only it wasn't a mist, it was solid and yet translucent.

In reaction my own hands erupted in the same film, and her aura and mine touched. Alise smiled and moved her hand over mine and a small spark ignited. A small bundle of flames licked up her hand and covered it. "Woah." I watched as the fire then form in my own hand. I felt how Alise had done it and when she drew away, the fire stayed but it wasn't being assisted by Alise. I was keeping it myself, even if it was just a small flame. I poured myself into that flame and watched as it grew and grew and then it dissolved with no smoke or scent of burning.

"It doesn't act like fire?"

"Only if it touches something else. Attached to you, it is merely our manifestation of the fade." Alise leaned back. "That was good. Most new mages can barely hold a spark and you held a flame, albeit assisted."

Staring at my hand a moment, I watched Alise get up and go back to making potions. "I've been having…weird dreams." I wanted to bite my tongue but Alise stiffened briefly and then looked back at me.

"How so?"

I sucked on my bottom lip as I weighed which dream to tell her first. "The other day, I think I encountered a demon. In the fade." Alise's full attention turned to me, her frown and furrowed brows were very telling. "I think it was a desire demon."

"You didn't agree to anything, correct?"

"No. Nothing. But isn't it weird that I'm already getting these kinds of dreams?"

Her eyes narrowed but she shook her head. "Not entirely. Your magic is still new, fresh. And short of you having been taking magebane for most of your life, there is no explanation other than you being a late bloomer. Though the latest I've ever heard was barely sixteen. And you are nearing your… thirties?" I nodded in affirmation. "It is curious."

"Well… magic doesn't exist where I'm from."

"Magic exists everywhere due to its connection to the Fade."

"Right. Where I'm from, we don't have the Fade."

Alise's head snapped back as though I said something that affronted her. "The fade is everywhere. There are places where it is thin, but it exists everywhere, from Par Vollen to the Wilds."

"And… I've been through this with Emeric and Alon. I'm not from Thedas. Not from this world." I threw my metaphorical hat aside and I began telling her. I needed to tell someone. Better it be someone who is more likely to believe me rather than someone who has no connection to the Fade. "Where I'm from, we dream, just like you do here, but no one remembers. Except a few people who have trained themselves to remember and to control their dreams. We call them lucid dreamers." I held my finger up to pause Alise's inquiry and she pursued her lips.

"My world, the place I'm from has heard of here. More than heard of." I fumbled. How to explain it. "There was this one dreamer, he saw Thedas, the world, and everything that has happened and things that have yet to happen-"

"A seer."

"A what?" I wanted to sigh at her interruption but I was intrigued.

"There are mages in Rivain who study to become a Seer. They don't just see the future, they also see the past. I remember reading it in my studies." Alise tapped her lip in thought. "They are revered highly in Rivain. But being able to see and know the future that seems quite the responsibility."

"Tell me about it." I blurt out but froze. Alise stares at me sharply. "I mean, it sounds like it'd be tough, knowing the future," I tried to cover but she wasn't convinced. I sighed and hung my head.

"Tell me."

"Okay… so the seer from my world," I looked to her to make sure she was following. "Told a lot of people of what he saw. I mean… a lot, like millions of people. I was one of them."

"So you know what is to come?" Alise leaned forward, clear excitement in her eyes.

"Yes… and no. I know briefly what _might_ happen." I stressed the might but Alise was lost in her own world, nodding along. I groaned, covering my face. I had hoped she wouldn't focus on the whole future sight thing.

Alise rose and paced around the tent. "So… people from your world do not dream in the Fade. They dream of…other worlds. And one dreams of Thedas." I nodded. "Was it everywhere in Thedas?"

"Well…he followed certain people. People who would become legend." I phrased it delicately in hopes she wouldn't start asking about herself.

"Like who?"

"Like the Hero of Ferelden." She scoffed at that and rolled her eyes.

"Solona Amell is not the saint everyone makes her out to be. You know she flirted with a Templar right after her Harrowing. And none of the Senior Enchanters or Knight-Captains did anything!" Alise vented.

I wanted to snort at that. Nice to know Amell flirted with Cullen in this. I typically played a male Brosca or female Tabris. I remember trying out a Surana and thinking how squishy mages were at first and refusing to play them again. Oh how the fates have screwed me over.

"Who else?" Alise asked, this time with curiosity rather than with a need to see me prove myself.

"The Champion and the Right hand of the Divine. Just to name a few." I shrugged to make light of it, but Alise smiled widely.

"And what about the future what do you know of what's to come?" Alise asked. I must have frowned or done something because she sat down in front of me again, all seriousness and business. "Is it something bad?"

"This leads to the other dream I had, I think it was a dream anyway." I pulled at the sleeves of my tunic, fiddling with the strings. "I saw something that will happen. Only not in the exact way I was told it would happen, last night. During the ritual that's when it began and then I woke up in my cot."

The mage shot off the cot and took three short purposeful steps before she began rummaging around her bookshelves. She pulled one or two books out, rifled through them and then placed them back. She did this a few more times until she pulled out a rather worn out book. Its leather was barely keeping together and the pages were old. Alise sat down next to me with it and opened it.

"My notes, from when I was studying. These were the earliest ones that I kept all these years." She opened the book and blew the dust off it, then began leafing through old parchment with neat script scrawled across it, small notes written in the margins and diagrams here and there for what I assume is potions of some sort. Finally she stopped at a page where it was all text.

"The Seers of Rivain. It is said they are hedge mages who willing speak with spirits, going so far as to let them possess them in order to grant them the Sight. They are given their freedom and take apprentices to teach their craft. They are the wise women who lead their communities and make binding judgements and decisions at Allsmet twice yearly." Alise spoke from her text. Her finger underlining the passage. "As it is an apprentice study in prevalence in Rivain, it has not been thoroughly studied or documented. But what is known, not any mage can ask to be these hedge mages' apprentice. Something is seen in them by the Seers, and then they are taken under their wing for proper education."

She and I looked to each, coming to the same conclusion by our shared knowing look. "You _may_ have the abilities of a Seer, inherently."


	19. Satinalia

Much as it would have been fun to stay with Alise all day and further theorize the possibility that I was a seer, I did have my contributions to do. So I left with instructions from the mage to go to her if I ever have another episode or weird dream; especially if I have a dream that involves a demon.

As it turned out though, my duty for the day was laundry and Brig and Frail had already set out. Skipping breakfast because I wasn't all that hungry, I set out of the encampment. Passing Bob, Patrice, and Alon who were hefting in large logs, I made my way down the familiar path. It wasn't so much a path as more of a route that was becoming familiar to me to get from the encampment to the nearest stream.

Pushing past the bushes I spotted Frail and Brig knee deep in the stream holding up colorful sheets of cloth with all manner of designs and embroidery on them. "We celebrating something?" I called out as I yanked my boots off and rolled my pants up.

"Satinalia." Came Frail's bewildered response as they wrung out the water and proceeded to hang the cloth over a multitude of branches. I grabbed another sheet from the basket and waded into the stream. They grabbed the other corners of it and we used a bar of soap and a bundle of mint smelling herbs to clean the sheet.

"It's already Satinalia?" I didn't exactly have a calendar here.

"Yes. It's a grand feast that Jany is preparing. Sweet desserts, sugar breads, and a glazed roast. I'm surprised you're not helping him." Frail and Brig dunked the sheet once I was done scrubbing it delicately. "Mira used to make these small tarts for each of us with a lovely blueberry filling. Maker, I hope Jany makes something similar."

"Tarts… that sounds fantastic." I moaned thinking of it. Perhaps I could make a cake one day with Jany or Mira's help.

Laundry took a lot longer than normal, mostly because of the large cape like sheets and then there were the normal tunics, trousers, and small clothes. As we bundled everything that was merely damp in the baskets, Frail stopped to look at me and then at the trees surrounding us.

"What?" I asked, then I noticed Brig had stopped but to watch me only.

"I uh–" Frail peered up at me. I was technically taller than him. "I was wondering if you might also teach me…" He moved his hands.

"Sign language?" Frail nodded and I looked to Brig who gave me a tooth grin. "Sure. So long as you help me out again with training."

"What… you will?" Frail looked like a kid who got told he could adopt all the puppies. "I mean… that seems like a fair trade. Plus, you're not too horrible at fending for yourself, in one on one that is."

"Oh? Well that's good to know." I hefted one basket up and held it against my hips as we walked. Brig carried two and Frail carried one on his head.

"You could use help in keeping up your defense. Brig could show you that." I looked back to make sure Brig agreed before continuing through the trees and bushes.

"How's my footwork?"

"Better. With practice you'll get the hang of it." Frail paused at the entrance with a perplexed look. "By the Maker…"

"What?" I pushed ahead and paused when I saw a shirtless Emeric and a shirtless Alon wrestling in the surprisingly dry dirt. The other blades were circled around them, laughing and placing bets. Jany and Beltrude were the only ones not participating, instead they were cooking. I spied Beltrude's stiff movements and her red rimmed eyes.

"And they started without us." Frail swore under his breath but hustled into the encampment toward the large bonfire that was blazing high. We quickly hung the laundry to dry, or as fast as Frail made us and then the small rogue took off to join the group. Brig however stayed with me, signing something from underneath the basket.

"For the role of Fool."

"I'm sorry?" Brig sighed before gesturing for us to move toward where now it was Alon and Patrice wrestling. Thankfully Patrice wasn't shirtless but she was throwing down on Alon, at least until Patrice was pinned down and slapped the ground out. "What is this for?" I asked Bob who wasn't drinking, surprisingly.

Bob turned to me briefly with narrowed eyes. "The one who wins gets to play as the fool." He sounded far more sober than I ever thought possible.

"The fool?"

"Aye. Satinalia tradition. Sure other cities and towns will decide in other ways but we… we pick like this." Bob gave a deep chortle and leant forward as Patrice walked away with a frown and a blade I had very little interaction with, Zazz, walked forward. He was tall with tan skin and had a birthmark along his neck that was highlighted by some sort of tattoo. He charged at Alon quickly and managed to knock him down but didn't keep him down.

"This is… barbaric. Isn't there an easier way to decide?" I looked to Bob and Brig who were both watching the wrestling with deep intrigue and had not heard me over the shouting bets and hands of coin being traded. Sighing, I moved back but bumped right into someone. Turning I came face to face, well chest, with Emeric who was still very much shirtless. "Oh. Hello."

"Mercy. I wish to speak with you." His grin was wide and his eyes showed mirth. This was not the sinister Emeric I had come to know. Still best to keep my wits about me. Pursing my lips I followed him as he picked up a goblet of ale and sat by the fire. I sat opposite him. "Are you well?"

"What?" I blinked and then remembered. "Oh yes. Just… whatever was in that goblet I drank from, must not have agreed with me." I lied through my teeth. I really didn't want to try to get him to understand my situation, again.

"Good. I'm pleased you're well but I must ask for a favor." Emeric pulled a cloth out from a pocket and dabbed at the sweat at his forehead and chest. Emeric's skin was a lot paler than I thought it'd be and almost looked russet or reddened in some particularly veiny spots. It was in patches.

"A favor?"

"Yes. I know you've been pulling your weight, but tonight is a celebration. We have our music, feast, ale, and dancing, but if you were to also sing, it would liven it up tremendously." Emeric smiled with what I guess he thought was charm but showcased his crooked teeth. It might be very shallow of me to focus on that but I'm coming from a first world country where dental hygiene is practiced regularly and visiting your orthodontist is practically mandatory for proper dental health. It must be a shock to see me with my straight teeth and not quite so yellow teeth. I was a habitual drinker of coffee and pop, not a good combination for the enamel.

"What do you want me to sing?" I focused back on Emeric. Those red splotches on him were far more pronounced now that he was cooled down.

"Anything you wish. Preferably something we can all sing with you. Perhaps a tavern song, if you could write one like before?" Emeric stroked his beard.

"I didn't write the one I sang last time."

"No? I'd never heard it before."

"Well." I chewed my bottom lip. "It's a local song from where I'm from." I looked at Emeric who looked a lot more relaxed and cheerful. "I guess I can sing–" I was yanked up into an embrace with Emeric who patted my back.

"A grand Satinalia festivity we will have with your voice to serenade us!" Emeric laughed and then set me back down as he thanked me and then began walking back to where the wrestling had apparently finished. I looked to see Frail looking smug if a bit scuffed here and there.

"Damnation. I thought I had the scrappy runt." Delphine's Antivan accent reached me as he sat right next to me.

"I've said it before, he cheats." Patrice sat opposite of Delphine and Zazz walked past us.

"So. From the way our jovial leader hugged you, I take it you agreed to enchant us with your voice again?" Delphine pulled me close with one arm. At this point I've gotten used to these people being all touchy feely and essentially manhandling me, but with Delphine I didn't mind.

"Yes…" I looked at Delphine then to Patrice who were smiling with conspiratorial intent. "What are you two planning?"

Two hours after prayer hour, I sat in the corner I had seen Delphine painting. I was given a wooden ball, yes a ball. It was smooth and nearly hollow. I also was given a whittling knife, rottenstone, some stale dried beans, hard thin leather and some twine. Delphi sat in front of me tuning what I guessed was a lute and Patrice was affixing small, about 1 inch in diameter, metal plates along an unfinished tambourine, or what they called a Riq. I was tasked with creating a shaker. Based on how Delphi described what he saw in Rivain once, he wanted me to make maracas or rather a maraca. Singular. They'd had one from last year but it had been damaged or something.

After a brief tutorial of how to whittle without skewering my own hand, I began. It was mostly done but needed to be shaved down a bit more. The blade of the knife was curved, allowing me to get closer shaves and chips. It reminded me of primary school actually. Sitting in the combination of music and art because the school didn't have funding to have separate classes.

We'd been told to make our own instruments. I was a lazy child at first and usually grabbed a metal stick and bent it until it was a triangle and called it a day. Then I got creative when others started doing what I had done. I grabbed a small cereal box, you know the kind that came in packs of six that they handed to you for breakfast. I'd fill it with rice, tape it shut and then stick a handle through it and call it a maraca. As the year progressed I ended up with five idiophone instruments made from everyday things.

For our end of the year celebration we had to pick one of them and perform as a class a song we voted on. It was the nineties and as typical 90s kids we picked a song that we'd heard a lot for the past couple of years that also had the approval of the administration. They wanted to make sure we didn't sing anything racy or triggering after all.

"Mercy?" I looked up, drawn from my memories at Delphine.

"Yes, what?" I looked to him and then to Patrice who were smirking. "What did I do?" I looked down at the wooden bowl and saw I was doing fine whittling despite having spaced out.

"You were humming." Patrice hoarsely chortled.

"Was not!" I felt my cheeks heat up at the accusation.

"Oh but you were, and it was lovely." Delphine praised me. I wonder if I could scratch his face off. So what, I hum, it happens. Especially now that I don't have music everywhere around me, at my own beck and call.

"You sang a few words. Something like…" Patrice coughed before continuing. "I said Hey yeah yeah…"

Oh _fuck no_. I was not humming _that_ song. Delphine and Patrice snickered as I felt my face heat up. "I was not humming anything."

"Oh but dear, it sounded lovely, the tune. Perhaps you can sing it for us now?"

"No."

"Please."

"Absolutely not."

"Just a small verse?"

"Pleeeaaassse Please please." Delphine was on his knees and looking up at me.

"You must be really deprived of music." I snapped.

"Mostly because the only music we do have is the same ones over and over. As much as singing the chants are fun, it gets a little boring." Patrice placed her tambourine, sorry Riq, down and pulled a stein of ale up. "And you my dear seem to have songs we have never heard before."

Rolling my eyes I went back to whittling, this time intent on not letting my mind wander. I was making decent progress with the shaker. I used the rottenstone to smooth out the outside and inside slowly and carefully, then I placed the beans in and then put the leather over the opening and used the twine to tie it securely. I shook it to test it and it made a lovely sound, it would probably sound better with rice but you make do with what you have.

As I made to leave I saw Delphine staring at me with that _look_. You know the one. Large doe-puppy eyes, pouted lip and sighing like he's about to cry. It was a dirty look. And sadly it worked. "Oh for the love of– FINE!" I rubbed my temples and sat back down as Delphine smiled victoriously. Patrice had left a while ago so it was just the Antivan and I.

"And so I cry sometimes-"

"Aww that sounds too sad. I thought it was a more jovial song?" I glared at Delphi and he pressed his lips tight.

"And so I cry sometimes, when I'm lying in bed just to get it all out, what's in my head. And I am feeling a little – peculiar." I sang softly and as low as possible to make sure the others didn't hear. "And so I wake in the morning and I step outside and I take a deep breath and I get real high…"

* * *

"AND I SCREAM FROM THE TOP OF MY LUNGS…" I practically screeched and laughed as Frail and I danced around each other. Bottles of brandy and casks of ale nearly empty as Delphine and Patrice played along to the melody I taught them.

"WHAT'S GOING ON!" The rest of the blades sang along at the top of their lungs. Frail wore his white mask, flowing orange and green cape was draped over him. I wore a blue one with my own mask, the two of us with hooked arms danced and sang for the fourth time that night.

"And I say hey yeah yeaaaah yeaaah-ah!" The bubbly feeling of being drunk filled me, the world swayed as the bonfire was stoked. The cacophony of out of tune voices was loud and joyful and I giggled as Frail tripped over himself and fell to the ground, sloshing his ale all over him. I took a chug of brandy, but the bottle was empty in my hand.

"Aww..." I peeked into the dark bottle and raised it up seeing nothing.

"Milady?" Another masked blade came up and took my hand. We continued singing and dancing. The shaker I had made hung from my hips and shook with each movement I made like a lazy belly dancer.

"Bob!" I giggled as the stout short man and I clumsily moved our feet around. His hands grasping my hips as we twirled and swirled around the encampment. He hefted me up once but then placed me down when my cape got caught in my legs and I toppled backwards.

Hands reached around and gripped me tightly to a broad chest, preventing me from falling. I looked back and saw the mischievous eyes of Emeric from between his mask. "Mercy, you are having a grand time, as it seems." I wasn't nearly drunk enough to forget what he tried to make me do, but I was drunk enough to let it slide if only for the holiday.

"Indeed I am, kind sir." I put on my most pompous English accented voice and snorted, audibly at the sound of it. "Oh maker, that sounded weird." Emeric shook with laughter and buried his face in my neck and but wouldn't let me go. "Oy, let me go I like this part."

The man took his sweet time in letting me go, pulling his hands back slowly and running them a little too close for comfort at my bits. "Go on, sing."

I stepped away cautiously and tried to give him a withering look as I swayed back to continue singing. I draped myself over Beltrude who was swaying to the tune. I faced her. She wasn't quite happy but her eyes were still red rimmed. She could use a bit of cheer.

"And I cry, oh maker do I cry…" I sang softly to her and her eyes narrowed at my lyrical change. "I cry all the time. In this institution." I grabbed her hands as it dawned on her what I was doing. Her eyes filled with tears. "And I pray. Oh maker do I pray. I pray every single day…" She burst into tears again and clutched me as the others around us continued to sing.

"I say hey yeah yeaaah yeaaah ah…" She murmured into my shoulder. I pat her back as she continued to cry and we swayed to the music.

"Twenty five years and my life is still, trying to get up that great big hill of hope... for a destination." We sang at the same time, my hands rubbed her back and we sat there like that as the others continued their merriment.

"Satinalia was his favorite holiday." Bel said softly. "I think he'd want me to have fun."

"I think so too, Bel." I smiled at her. I wasn't very good with grief but being there for people, I had failed at it so much in the past back home. I wanted to fix that, even if I barely knew Beltrude as it is. "Let's dance, yeah?"

Bel rose, her red cape dragged behind her. I imagine she was wearing Dugan's old one. I grabbed her hand and swayed, my feet shuffling across the dirt. She followed my movements, then I pulled her close and spun her in a slow circle and then let her wander away before she spun me around. It was a slow dance despite the faster pace the song had evolved into with the others leading it.

"Uncle!" Bel cried as a Bryant in his grey and green mask stepped up. Some of the Blades weren't drinking so they could stand guard. Bryant was one of them. He nodded to me before pulling Bel away to dance with her.

I watched the uncle and niece for a moment and then grabbed an empty brandy bottle and blew air over the opening to join in the music.

The festivities carried on well past midnight. Dawn was encroaching on us as most of the blades were already in bed or helping clean up. Jany sat beside me as I sipped from a waterskin, feeling that when I wake up a hangover will hit me. "Here." He held a tart out to me. "You didn't get to have one earlier."

"Ooh." I grabbed it, broke it in half and handed one piece to Jany. "Sharing is caring." I mumbled as I stuffed my mouth with it. "Oh this is so good." It was blueberry tart. Smaller than I have ever seen a tart but still delicious. It wasn't overly sweet like most American made desserts. "When is Mira coming back?"

"When the baby is born, the midwife believes it will be during Wintermarch or Guardian." Jany wistfully sighed. "I do miss her. Tis good for the baby to be born somewhere safer. Crestwood has its guardsmen."

That sounded familiar. Crestwood.

"I believe it's time for you to retire before the sun finishes rising and Emeric makes you work through the day." Jany patted my back.

"Oh shi–yeah. I should." I got up just as the sun rose in my face, it's brightness near blinding me. "Ow." I covered my face and waited for my eyes to adjust.

Blinking them open the sky was green, reaching out from a central vortex way over the mountains and the encampment around me was filled with monstrous horrors with red lyrium cracking out of their skin.

"Oh my god…" I spotted one horror who limped with a staff in one hand. They turned and it was Alon, eyes red and body contorted to fit the lyrium growing out of his skin.

" _You could have stopped this_."

I turned to see a looming horror that I barely recognized as Frail. He towered over me menacingly. "How could I?" His singular untouched red eye blinked and he looked toward the vortex.

" _By stopping that_."

"Mercy?"

I looked to Jany as the red lyrium faded away and the green sky disappeared.

"Haha… sorry. I must be more tired than I thought." I dismissed myself and stumbled to the tent where Frail was already asleep, the image of his body turned into a horror never left me as I lay in my cot shaking and peeking at the small rogue.


	20. Sweeping vs Squared

Two weeks. It's been two weeks since Satinalia and I have told _no one_ about what I saw. How would I even explain what I saw? Sure, Alise would sort of understand but then I'd have to explain about what happens. I don't even have a definitive date as to when the Breach even occurs, just that it explodes into being sometime in the year Dragon 9:41 which, SPOILER ALERT, is in a month and a half!

Hanging my head, I stared at my boots. They were getting a decent bit of wear and tear now that I was assigned to scout and patrol duty with Brig and Frail. Well more like I tagged along after them while they did actual scouting and then I stayed behind in the outposts when they checked out suspicious activity.

So far nothing came up, not like the Venatori that had attacked the encampment. But their presence alone made me remember that Iron Bull and the chargers come to the Storm Coast because the Qun tracked the Tevinter Mages to here. For what, I really couldn't remember. I do know it has something to do with red lyrium. I distinctly recalled destroying large groupings of red lyrium on the coast while playing but I couldn't remember where no matter how many times I tried to write down every event I remembered.

Oh, I wasn't completely useless these past two weeks. My sketchbooks remaining blank pages were filled with scribbled outlines and shorthand phrases of what happened in the game, as best as I could remember. I had no dates just a vague order of how things progressed and any details I could remember that might help, especially War Table missions. I even drew maps as I recalled them. Small little things.

I'd asked Alise for a map of the coast and she had shown me a map that looked nothing like I recalled the Coast being in the game. For one thing it was larger, far larger. She said it takes about 3 days journey on horseback to go from the northeastern most outpost which was close to Crestwood to the southernmost outpost with the camps in between. And that wasn't the whole of the Coastlands. I mean this place was big and well documented as far as I could tell.

I had copied the map down as best as I could and began marking where things might be. It wasn't the same, I mean it was roughly similar but the layouts were different. The forests were larger and the hills and ridges were plentiful. Especially when I compared it to what I saw in my scouting duties.

I wrote in the margins and erased when necessary. I made sure to use as much of my space as possible, even going back to previous pages of drawings and writing on the back of them and around the drawings. There was a lot I could recall. From what happens right after the conclave is destroyed, to what goes on in the hinterlands, to the meeting in Val Royeaux and all the way to the Arbor Wilds. I'd only ever finished one play through to the very end but the quest Doom Upon All the World was the same no matter what from what I could tell. All this writing left me with no place to draw and I was regretting it every passing second.

Slipping on my robe and scout's jacket, I exited into the shivering cold that was dawn. If my failing to not to speak to anyone wasn't bad enough, it was that winter had hit the Storm Coast full on. Before I was able to handle the cold, nothing a New Jersey born girl couldn't handle. Then it got really cold at night, to the point I'd wake up with frost on my eyelashes, eyebrows, and in my hair. Joints stiff from being cold took a while to get moving. The cold winters of Fereldan were never covered in the game.

One especially cold night, Brig, Frail, and I pushed our cots together and we huddled close to keep warm. I imagine we might have to do that more often with Brig being a powerhouse heater. It was easier when I learned a few bits of fire magic, thanks to Alise guiding me through writing a warming rune, so we didn't freeze. Downside, I had to refresh the rune every night with Alise in every tent and cabin. A warming rune lasted longer than a Heating Rune because it used less magic. I didn't understand the sweeping lines and circles and drawings but I understood that the overall product was a rune with an AOE.

"M-mercy, think you can place a heating rune on the pot?" Jany asked. He was bundled up with a scarf and two jackets and yet was still cold. I followed him to where the stone table was and raised my hand over the pot he was throwing everything in to make a soup. The water was beginning to ice over. Focusing, I pulled at the fade. I was slower than Alise but I was always careful and never hasty because if you drew the wrong rune, there were often times dire consequences. I learned that the hard way.

* * *

 _"This rune, this is a basic fire rune, it is the basis for all heat and fire based runes and fire attacks. You surround the rune in a circle and then a larger circle and in the space between you put the instructions." Alise pointed to the rune that was blown up and large on the ground. "But for now I want you to just write this rune over and over."_

 _"By instructions you mean?"_

 _"The instructions tells how long, the range, how hot the fire or heat is. If you want it combustible." Alise explained as she drew each symbol that for each. "There are numerous variations but for now these will do. Ancient mages figured out how to apply magic into writing. When you write the rune you engrave your mana to that spot. It only stays there for how long you want it, and however long you can have it running is also determined by how much mana you have and can regenerate naturally."_

 _"And how do you increase that?" I asked as I drew the fire rune over and over again with a stick. I had to do this until I could picture it in my head if I ever thought fire._

 _"Our aura is like a muscle, and our mana is its stamina. With time, practice and proper training you can expand it, make it larger, or in this case have a deeper mana reserve. And how fast you regenerate is based on how often you use magic. Mages that go without magic for a long time lose their strength in it and stamina to apply it. Our auras, this green layer when we do magic is the muscle. If you use it too much it can snap and break and then you hurt yourself." Alise summoned a fireball and pointed to the green film between the ball and her skin where the fade bled through._

 _"We can hurt ourselves?" I paused my drawing to stare at the fireball and aura. I can see it now, Mercy used Fireball, and oh no Mercy hurt herself in her confusion!_

 _"Keep drawing." She tapped my stick and I kept drawing the fire rune again and again. "And yes. Most new mages do it and that's how they learn their current limits. And then we keep testing those limits."_

 _"Huh. Is there a cap, like how far magic can go?" I watched as she flicked her hand over the dirt and it was wiped clean and she had me start over again._

 _"Yes." And then she paused. "And no. Some mages are naturally gifted with deeper mana reserves and others not quite so much. A mage can work hard and try to have more power, this is not including blood magic by the way, but sometimes they won't match those who are more gifted and blessed with magic."_

 _I pulled the stick away when Alise tapped my shoulder and pointed. "What?"_

 _"You wrote the rune wrong here." She pointed to a sweeping in the rune that looked less sweeping and more squared._

 _"What's the difference?" I asked exasperated as I drew it over again._

 _"The difference?" Alise pursed her lips. "You'll see."_

 _For hours that day, I wrote runes. Then she taught me the mundane instructions for heating, warming, cooling. Yeah cooling as well. Apparently heat and cold are two sides and you can take heat away from an environment with a fire rune just as easily as cooling an environment with an Ice rune. Then towards the end of the day she showed me how to apply the runes with magic, forcing my magic out by imaging a spark but not letting it manifest and instead using that spark to write._

 _I wrote the fire rune. And the dirt lit up in flames that would burn you to your ankles. Then I wrote my instructions. I did that well until night time, not even stopping for dinner._

 _"Okay. I want you to write the fire rune as fast as you can and then we'll be done for the day." Alise said sitting down with a bowl in her hand, eating._

 _I extended my hand, as taught and imagined the rune quickly. Some of the lines were sloppy and then I fucked up really bad. I made one extra sweeping mark and suddenly the rune exploded, throwing me back and singeing my hair, clothes and exposed skin on my arm. A winter's grasp filled the air just then and Alise looked down at me._

 _"That's what the difference is." She smirked._

* * *

Stepping away from the table as steam rose from the pot with the heat, Jany slipped a roll into my hand with a sausage tucked in it. You don't even want to know how they make sausages here. The first time I saw them gutting a ram and pulling the intestines out and cleaning them, I nearly lost my lunch. And then seeing them put meat in it with herbs, I walked away. It's not like I didn't know that's how it was made back home before industrialization, but actually seeing it in front of you is something else.

I walked to the gate where Frail waited for me. Brig was out on some errand with Emeric today and for the next few days it was just Frail and I.

"Took you long enough," Frail mock sneered and I pushed him, broke my sausage sandwich in half and gave it to him. "Oh… thanks."

We pushed out of the encampment and Frail taught me how to be stealthy, even if it meant we weren't actually stealthy do to our talking and him chastising me whenever I didn't see a branch and stepped on it.

We made it to the western most outpost and saw smoke coming from it. We weren't the only scouts to ever be in any outpost. Each of the four Blades of Hessarian camps sent scouts to each outpost where they operated with each other and traded news about each camp. I had met a few of the other scouts this way.

Climbing up the tree and then jumping to the small rocky ridge, we entered to see a Beltrude and Zazz as well as two scouts I had met before, Karl and Haveth.

"Finally. I'm exhausted." Zazz groaned as he got off the floor and took off out of the outpost, followed by Bel. I gave her a nod and she returned it with a sleepy smile.

"What's the news in the east camp?" Frail began talking to Haveth while Karl and I began playing Diamondback.

Scouting consisted of sitting in these outposts, peering out into the surrounding area and two of us going out every other hour to scout the area and write down any findings, or unusual happenings and send them to Emeric via Owl or Hawk.

Yeah, OWL. Like some Hogwarts reject. In this outpost, there was a carrier Hawk.

If it was urgent, we used the horn and anyone in the vicinity would run toward the horn. Each camp and outpost had one and depending on how many blasts we gave it and for how long indicated where the trouble was, roughly. Typically if you got near you could tell where the scuffle was, or so Karl told me.

"How's lessons going?" Karl asked as he shuffled the cards expertly. Karl beat me every time but it was still fun to play. Then again, Karl beat everyone.

"It's going. No more blowing myself up at least." Partly true. After the first fire rune fiasco, I blew myself up once more, but with lightning. Never knew tazing yourself would cause you to piss yourself.

"Yvette sends her regards on that. She remembers what it was like learning magic the first time." Yvette was the north camp's mage and alchemist. She came from Orlais when the circles fell. She had never loved her gilded cage in the Montsimmard Circle Tower and had joined the Blades when she managed to avoid detection from the Templars until she came across Karl. Karl was an ex-templar from Ostwick. He had left the order the moment news from Kirkwall came and began his trek to join the Orlesian army until he got wind of the troubles between Gaspard and Empress Celene. Then he came across Yvette, and the two fought at first, until Karl revealed he was an ex-templar and the two found their way to Fereldan and eventually Emeric met them and they joined. Declaring their devotion to Andraste and helping keep these hills safe.

"Tell Yvette I'm still better at healing than she is." I smirked and Karl won the hand again and grabbed my cards, shuffling them.

"You really want to get on her bad side huh?" Karl snickered as he dealt in Frail and Haveth once they sat closer to us. This time it was Wicked Grace.

"Me, get on Madame Yvette's bad side? Never. It's the Orlesian Game after all to swap snide remarks as though they were compliments." I extended my hand and lifted my nose.

"That is exactly how she talks." Haveth snorted and dropped chips in. Coin was handled by Emeric and Alon, so the only things we normal folk had to bid with was chips, which represented our duties. We swapped our chores every now and then.

"Oooh. I raise you two hours." The chips represented hours of doing each chore. In this scenario, scouting. We're to keep it hush hush for the most part as Alon didn't agree with this method, stating we should be using our spare time to reflect on the Maker. Thankfully, not everyone was a stick in the mud.

I didn't lose, but I also didn't win. As such, Haveth got stuck with a whole day's worth of scouting to be spread across a week and Frail got out of scouting for a few hours more.

"Come on. Let's go scout the area." Karl and I left Haveth and Frail bickering as we climbed down from the outpost, leaving the two to peer out of the hole in the stone.

I stepped where Karl stepped. His heavy armor made more noise than my light-medium armor, but we were as silent as can be with the sounds of the forest. The ex-templar was the same height as me with dark green eyes and the deep brown skin. His body was built, but that's to be expected of a shield carrying Templar.

"Sh-" I stopped moving. "Did you bring your bow?"

"Yes." I pulled the bow from my back. My magic wasn't combat ready, nor was my skills with the shortswords but they gave me a bow to at least practice range with, at the very least to improve my aim. I couldn't always rely on AOE magical attacks.

Karl sheathed his sword and pulled an arrow from my sling of arrows and grabbed the bow. Yes, sling as there was no quiver at my back. Karl aimed up and I saw a pheasant.

"Lunch."

"That is a fat pheasant." Karl shot and the bird went tumbling down. We made our way quietly to the drop point and picked it up, pulling the arrow out and putting it back in my sling, we continued our rounds, with the pheasant hanging from my shoulder. As I was the rookie, I carried the small game we found on our treks.

A large circle around the outpost later, and we were climbing back up. Frail skinned the pheasant and Haveth cooked it. We ate in companionable silence until it was Haveth and Karl's turn to go out for a loop, then it'd be Frail and mine, then Haveth and Me, then Frail and Karl. And then all over again until Haveth and Karl switched out with someone from their camp and then Frail and I would go for another four hours with them and then switch out. It was staggered like that.

When it came for Haveth and I to go out, Frail was taking a nap and Karl was watching our backs as we went out. Climbing up and down the tree to the outpost gave my legs and arms a workout, not to mention carrying a bow, sling of arrows, and a bag of healing poultices, potions, and two lyrium potions, just to be safe.

"Did you hear that?" Haveth was an archer with the sharpest sense. He heard things rom far away, thing I barely registered. He had a metal shortbow and one sling of arrows with ten arrows in it. I've never seen him practice but based on his quick reflexes I had a feeling he was agile and fast with the bow.

"No-" I barely had time for he shot off an arrow into the bushes and a bandit fell over. Quickly the small path we were on was filled with three other bandits. One in front of us, and two behind. I turned around and pushed my hand out, thinking push as hard as I could and an Arcane Blast, as Alise called it, pushed the bandits off their feet. Meanwhile Haveth was having an archer off.

I turned to glimpse Haveth moving around, dodging close range arrows aimed at him. He caught an arrow midair and shot it at the bandit archer only for another arrow to split it in half. The two danced around each other. Haveth kicked at the archer but the enemy bow met his abdomen and he doubled over.

"Behind you-"

I was already on it as one of the bandits came at me with a sword. I lifted my own bow to block with one hand and my hand reached out. The fire rune emblazoned on his armor, heating the metal up to unbearable temperatures and he fell over screaming. The other was gone, but I distinctly recalled seeing him carrying two daggers. I didn't wait though.

I yanked a lyrium potion and downed it, tossing a health potion to Haveth as he caught arrow after arrow that were aimed at him. He took cover behind a tree and I yanked a shield up around me as a precaution.

"Where did you go?" I muttered and moved down the path slowly, staring out at the area around us as an arrow bounced off my shield.

"Apostate bitch!" A body slammed into me and I felt the daggers try to sink into me but they met my shield. I head-butted him as I heard my shield crack and rolled us over. My arms light up with lightning and I pushed them against him. He shook, the dagger falling away. I kicked it away and then stood up. I placed my boot at his throat and pressed down. His eyes opened and met mine with a finality to them.

We stared at each other for a long time, my boot pressed there with assurance that if the man jolted me I could crush him. Then an arrow embedded into his skull. I looked up at Haveth who looked confused.

"Why didn't you kill him?" He spat blood to clear his mouth as he began looting the corpses. The man I had set on fire also had an arrow in his head.

"I-… I've never killed anyone before." I muttered as I righted my clothes, made sure the small bag of potions were intact and then began pocketing the slips of paper Haveth handed me.

"Could have fooled me with the way you torture this guy." Haveth kicked at the man with burnt armor and charred flesh.

"I didn't torture him!"

Haveth raised his eyebrows at my indignant reply.

"Sure. And his flesh is only partially roasted because you knew you could talk him down from killing you." He had a point.

We created a small pyre in the woods and dragged them into it. Then I did the honors, immolating the corpses with a fire rune that would burned hot and fast getting rid of most of the flesh and leaving black bones. Then we headed to a nearby stream and cleaned ourselves before continuing our route.


	21. The Revenging

I lay in the cot next to Frail, our bodies pressed close in the cold of night. Frail was asleep, I could tell by the small snores and his even breaths. I'd had that dream again, where Frail towers over me with red crystals of lyrium breaking through his skin, replacing his muscles and building in chunks on one side. I was calling them dreams now, too. I hadn't mentioned it because I wasn't sure it hadn't been a drunken delusion that was brought up in my nightmares again and again.

Slipping slowly out of bed and placing an additional warming rune in my stead, I dressed quickly. No use in staying in bed if I wasn't likely to fall asleep again. The frigid cold air chased the dredges of drowsiness away as I walked out to see an empty encampment. It was eerily silent.

Walking toward the center, I noted the firepit was running low on wood. Icy water buckets were lined up next to it and Jany's table was set up. It was still dark out, the wee hours of the morning where it's colder than you'd think until the sun comes out and heats everything up. Only on the coast, the chance of the sun coming out was slim. Instead, it was more likely to be overcast as it had been. Or, as I stared up at the sky where the stars were being blocked out by rolling dark clouds, it was likely to rain.

Just as I was about to start lifting the buckets into the pot to help Jany with breakfast, I heard approaching footsteps.

"You are awake far earlier than I expected." That timbered vice was familiar but I had gotten used to the way it was tight with anger and distrust these last few weeks. I turned to see Alon who was clasping and unclasping his hands, almost nervously.

"Alon, good morning."

"Good morrow. Might I – might I have a word with you?"

"Depends." I was terse and completely untrusting of him. First he was judgmental and then angry at me for something I had no control over.

"On?" He followed my movements, helping me raise the pot over the fire and then stoked the fire so it rose while I poured the icy water into the pot. I didn't answer, instead working slowly.

"What it is." I said just as I spotted Jany and Beltrude coming from the main entrance of the encampment. On their shoulders were a few nugs, pheasants, and a fennec fox. Their cheeks and nose tips were rosy from the cold.

"Alon. Those are storm clouds. Shall we assemble the tent?" Beltrude pointed to the sky and Alon looked long and hard.

"Yes. Over the fire, and bring the tables here so we all stay warm." Alon and Beltrude went off to collect something while I sidled next to Jany and helped him skin the game. The first time I did this, I couldn't help but look at the cute nugs and fennec foxes. But then my stomach growled and I imagined them roasted with parsley and other herbs.

Sliding the knife as close to the skin as I could, I peeled back the fur, trying to keep the entire thing as in tact as possible. These could be used for a hat, or some gloves after it's been tanned and treated.

Once the meat was stripped, Jany and I placed the meat along with bits of onions, potatoes, some elfroot, and some cabbages – _my cabbages_ – into the large pot as it was already boiling. A little bit of salt and then it was a matter of stirring, of which Jany did most of.

In that time, Bel and Alon came up with four tall poles that they places in a square around the firepit and then a large black cloth that looked slick and oily was hefted up using the poles and then secured in place. This left the firepit partially exposed but that was fixed with another tent over it, a metal one with grates that allowed smoke out but water merely collected and riveted down into barrels on either end.

"It may snow." Alon said and then gestured for me to help move the tables.

Sighing, I did, hefting up the wooden tables as best as I could and dragging them through the flaps of the tent and arranging them to allow everyone to have a place to sit.

"I realize, I may have acted rashly." Alon said when we were left alone outside while Beltrude took in the barrels and logs that acted as seats.

"Rashly? Oh boy." I huffed as I picked up an empty barrel and took it in.

"I must apologize for my behavior, for my anger." Alon continued, though his voice lowered as soon as we were in the tent.

"And?"

He looked at me questioningly. "And…?"

"And for being judgmental about the bath incident." I too lowered my voice but his eyes widen with recognition and I swear his cheeks pinked and his eyes turned away guiltily.

"Yes. I suppose I should – I mean, I do apologize for my reaction for that as well."

"Good." I huffed and continued bringing in barrels but Alon continued following me. He helped me lift a not quite so empty barrel in and then we sat down as a roll of bread was placed in front of us.

"It's stale, but it's the last one from the last batch." Jany smiled as he held another roll and broke it in half and handed it to Beltrude.

"I have a new duty for you." My brows rose as Alon broke the roll in half and handed me one piece. "If you'll follow me, I can show you." He led me outside and toward the stables.

"It's been established that the horses do not like me." I stated as we entered the stables. We passed Bryant who had taken over the stables for his late brother. He was brushing a speckled brown and blonde steed with a braided mane. I recognized the horse as Tali, Emeric's preferred steed. "And I thought Bryant was taking care of the horses." I nodded to the man.

"Yes. Right you are, but these aren't about the horses." He stopped outside of a stall and then I heard the faintest, squeakiest, tiniest little yips ever. Pushing forward I looked in and spotted a litter of mabari pups all crowded around one very proud female mabari, sucking on her teats. I counted eight of them, all with varied fur colors.

"PUPPIES!" I cooed, and immediately let myself in but Alon halted me.

"Let Jezebel sniff you first. She doesn't know you."

I nodded and slowly extended my palm toward the bitch. She looked me in the eye long and hard before sniffing it. It almost sounded like she was growling and I was getting ready to get out of there when her mouth opened and out her tongue licked my palm.

"She likes you." Alon said and I made to grab one of the pups now wandering around slowly. They weren't newborn but they weren't small either. They were about the size of a full grown domestic cat. But they were chunky and pudgy and so cute.

"There's eight! She had so many, and all at once!" I cooed with my baby voice at the pup who licked my face.

"Actually two mothers gave birth but Jezebel and her sister, Farai, were getting on in their years and Farai passed as soon as she delivered. Jezebel's been caring for them." Alon smiled. "Wait… did you say eight? There were nine last night." He came into the stall and picked up each pup and counted them. Then he pulled the ninth one out from under four pups still sucking for milk. "Ahh, the runt. I doubt he'll make it to adolescent. He is easily pushed aside."

"Awww…." I placed the pup down and it went off, then grabbed the runt form Alon and placed him at the mother for it to get milk as well. "Not if I can help it. He'll be…" I paused to lift its tail up. " _She'll_ be just as strong as her brothers and sisters and cousins.

"That is exactly what I want you to do." Alon walked back out and I stayed inside making sure the runt, so to speak, got it's fill before clambering out. "They are old enough to begin training, and Dugan was waiting for them to get a tad older and Bryant has no patience for untrained beasts."

"So you want me to train them?" I looked into the stall and smiled widely. This is one duty I would not mind taking over.

"Yes. For now it will be small things. Where they can relieve themselves, when to come and go, but as they get older and bigger, we'll all do combat training. But basic obedience is needed. While mabari are very intelligent, in their adolescence they are… rambunctious and rebellious." Alon explained as we walked out of the stables. "It will be your primary duty until they are ready for combat."

"I'm going to have fun with this job." I giggled, thinking of the puppies.

* * *

I should really smack my past self. Mabari are adorable as pups, it should be down right illegal to be that cute. They love to go everywhere, explore everything and unfortunately **_go_** everywhere. I always kept a shovel handy while in the stables and always looked around. I don't know how but they'll sometimes make it out of their stall.

That first week was fun. I'd go in, get them acclimated to me, play with them, then reward them when they sit, speak, roll over, play dead. You'd be surprised how easy they got those down pat. Unlike the months it took for me to train my pets growing up.

The runt didn't die, just as planned. Because I made sure she always got milk. Either by pushing another pup off Jezebel or by asking for a bowl of sheep milk and feeding it too her. I named her Duchess right off the back.

Duchess was a white with brown speckled spots all over her with large floppy ears. And Duchess was the most adventurous of the litter. She found her way everywhere and into everything. I once couldn't find her until her yips brought me to a barrel of grain for the horses. How she managed to get up into the barrel is beyond me but I had to keep a close eye on her.

The others I eventually named based on their propensity for trouble, excitement, and obedience. Hey, Alon didn't say I couldn't name them!

There was Trouble, who was as the name implies, always trouble or in trouble. He made a whole rack of shovels fall when he got out of the stable following his sister Duchess. He didn't get hit by any of them, which was a miracle. Trouble was a fluff of fur that reminded me of calicos, with large brown eyes that always had a guilty look to them.

Moar, yes, I'm terrible at names. Moar was a chubby brown furred pup who was greedy when it came to food. Always wanted more. And when there wasn't any, he'd howl and bark until he got more. Every time I asked him if he "wanted more" he'd come running, until finally anytime someone said more, he'd respond at attention. So I named him Moar.

Ser Howlsworth, kill me I took inspiration from Ser Pounce-a-lot and Anders, was a howler. You guessed it. He howls whenever he got the chance. I really mean whenever. If he wasn't occupied, he was howling. I had to smack him on the nose to get him to shut up but those eyes! Large blue eyes that made my heart melt.

Barkspawn, I couldn't help it, was not a barker, but he play attacked everything. And he got his name much later for reasons I'm sure you can guess.

Dog, responded to that because he'd always watch Bryant work and Bryant would yell at him "Dog, get out!" or "Dog, shoo!" or "Dog, go back to your momma." So Dog, a robust black furred mabari, was named Dog.

Growlith – I grew up with the games so sue me – was a stripped blonde and brown furred mabari who, as to her name, growled often. Her teeth barred and paws spread as though ready to attack.

Slipper, I believed to be more cat than mabari. She got to places that she really shouldn't be able to get to. Like how she got on top of Emeric's cabin that one day blew my mind. I suspect Trouble and Duchess helped her but those two gave me that 'I didn't do it' look whenever I went looking for the culprit.

Then there was Leonardo. I didn't name him because he was an artist or never won any Oscars, I named him after the very famous turtle of the same name, and that's because Leo here was a born leader. He stood over his siblings and cousins and gave a bark and they fell in line. I learned really fast that they had formed a pack and as soon as I trained Leo, the others quickly followed. But that also meant that if I did something Leo didn't like, I had nine very troublesome mabari after me.

Which I just happened to do. I scolded the wrong mabari, I'm assuming, for something one of the others did. And that… that made Leo mad.

They really don't highlight how intelligent mabari are in the games and books. Or how they recognize patterns and note how important objects are to humans. Because the next thing I knew, Leo had my toothbrush in his mouth and Trouble and Duchess had my earth clothes in theirs.

"No…no no no … LEO… no. Put. That. Down, please." I approached Leo slowly and he gave a snort almost like a snicker and then he began chewing up my toothbrush and the others were ripping up my clothes. I managed to spare the other Earth clothes I had but my toothbrush was lost.

Collaring the mabari and locking them in their stall was their punishment, especially as I looked at the mangled up toothbrush. I took Leo to the cage outside, so he wouldn't stage some sort of uprising. It was by Emeric's throne and in the cold but I left the dog a blanket. He still whined and gave me those sad dog eyes but I got wise to that already.

"Leo… this was important. You see." I held out the toothbrush for the dog to understand. "This… this was from home… my home." I looked at the plastic case and thought of the times I used it while on Earth, for vacations, overnight stays, sleepovers. Leo was licking me through the bars of the cage and I realized I was crying. "Now you realize." My voice cracked as I looked at the mabari. It was barely a month and these dogs were already so big.

Sighing, I looked at the encampment and the bustling of people. A few had stopped to laugh when they saw me wrestling with the mabari for my stuff back but it was something I was used to. Apparently training mabari takes some persistence and patience that no one warned me I should have.

I left camp to find the south river. Recently, some giant bears were seen near our usual stream and rather than engage combat every time we had use for it, we simply relocated our operations. I stumbled my way to it and began trying to at least clean the toothbrush in the river. I sat on the bank with my heaviest scout jacket on with the hood up because the wind chill would get me even with the warming enchantments.

I scrubbed, and while I wouldn't be able to tuck the brush back into the plastic case I could at least try to fix the brush so I can continue brushing my teeth even if my toothpaste ran out weeks ago. It wasn't turning out good, I was just losing more and more of the bristles.

"Hoo…"

I looked away from the toothbrush. Was that-

"Hoo!"

An owl? I looked around the trees across the river and spotted it. It was looking directly at me. What was an owl even doing conscious midday? It hooted again and then turned, almost to behind me to which I turned. I really should pay more attention to my surroundings.

I came face to face with a large black bear with a brown muzzle whose nostrils flared as it sniffed me. Large brown eyes stared into my own.

Toothbrush forgotten, I made no sound as the bear slowly began standing onto its hind legs and I wasted no time in propelling myself into the frigid cold river and began swimming. Logic only hitting me then that bears are much better and faster swimmers and runners than humans but I committed and didn't look back unless I heard something.

I was across the river and scrambling up the bank as I heard the splashes of the bear coming after me. My feet wet and my body rushing with blood I took off into the woods. I knew them somewhat. And by somewhat I mean marginally because we had outposts this way too and I studied the map Alise had shown me.

I tripped, slipped, and skidded around trees, roots, and branches laying on the ground. I came around a bend and somehow the bear was in front of me. I turned around to go the other way and I ran. My breath heavy, my heart pounding and my lungs burned because some of the river water I swallowed. I was going up, and if I could slide down a cliff I'd be golden. The bear wouldn't follow me down, would it?

I came up to the top of a rather steep cliff that overlook the coast and stopped, looking behind me. I took a moment to listen and it seemed like nothing was chasing me. No sounds or snapping branches, no rustling. I held my hand out and a burst of green energy exploded around me. No one, and no animal, would notice me right away. That was a very handy spirit magic spell. Using the Fade to hide from sight if temporarily.

Senses tense and body beginning to shake from the cold, I calmed myself down enough to take stalk in approximately where I was. I had an idea, especially as I peered down the cliff and saw steps. I traced the steps and found what looked to be a structure. It was large and had a door to it from what I could see. It was by the coast as well, by the sound of waves crashing against rocks and the tide going over the graveled sand.

"-mson!" I heard a familiar voice echo up to me. I looked over the cliff and then I heard a high pitched neigh. I went to the other side of the cliff that let me look at the coast more and nearly fell over when I saw a very familiar speckled horse with its familiar blonde haired red armored rider, Emeric. And then my eyes traced over to where our leader was riding toward. There was the very familiar red lyrium powered ex-templar dwarfed by two large red lyrium corrupted horrors.


	22. Revelations

I leaned against an icy boulder, my clothes and jacket were covered in frost. My hair was frozen and my skin was beginning to turn blue. But I held a small flame in my hands that occasionally pulsed in heat and the ice melted and kept me marginally warm. My lips were trembling and I could see my breath in the air. None of this mattered because I could hear them, if only slightly. A few words drifted up over the tide and wind letting me paint a picture.

"-ric how do yu"

"is well, is the-"

"-ready and-"

"-yrium is-"

"Brig grab the-."

"-batch is-"

"-royals –"

"-spirit mani-"

Emeric was there with Brig from what I could tell. Emeric was transporting either normal lyrium, or red lyrium or he was trading for it. I wouldn't be surprised of any of those, to be honest. Just knowing the man was standing right in front of those horrors and not running or fighting them let me know something was very wrong.

It made me sick.

Or maybe it was the cold talking as my nose began to drip.

I looked to my right as the sounds of hoofs and a moving cart echoed up. I moved slowly, not because I wanted to but because my pants had frozen in place. I snuffed the flame out and watched as Emeric and Brig rode while the horses dragged the cart up the steps slowly. The cart now laden with goods was slow going.

"Oh and, Emeric." Emeric turned toward the voice, who I could see was Samson, now alone. The red glow of the horrors were gone but that door was open. "If you are harboring it, we will find out."

"I've seen nor heard nothing regarding _it_." Emeric waved Samson off and the cart rode up the steps and off over the hills and further inland. I sat on a boulder, waiting for the sounds to disappear. My fingers were starting to turn blue again by the time I got up. I checked to make sure there weren't any ex-templars or horrors around before I ventured into the woods.

It was slow going but as the activity pumped blood through me, my temperature rose. My skin became more pinkish, especially as I pulsed heat as much as I could. At first I was floundering around lost. Pretty sure I doubled back around the same tree twice. But then I found a familiar treehouse. It was one of the outposts for this area. I didn't stop at it, despite the people that I knew would be there. I just found the path that I knew would take me back to the main encampment.

My shoes and clothes were starting to collect snow as my feet thudded heavily against the turf. My breath was labored and my cheeks felt flushed. I was sure I was becoming ill.

I came across the very river I had pushed myself into and looked downstream and upstream, then back into the woods. There were no surprise bears this time. I pushed into the water, gasping as the cold seeped into my skin again and made my way across it. The stream wasn't nearly as strong but I was tired, cold, and very weak and I went downstream a little but managed to clamber out before I went too far. Gasping and laying on the bank for a second too long, I got up and began heading back to camp. My fingers grasping trees and nails raked against bark without me knowing.

By the time I made it to camp it was dark out and the majority of the Blades were already gathered for supper. Leo was still very much in his cage and none of the blades noticed me then. Not until I stumbled and let out a yell.

"Andraste's ass woman, what did you do to yourself?" Jany was all but screeching as he helped me up. Alise coming with a blanket and covering me up, magical heat pouring into me.

"Chased by a bear, got a bit lost." I mumbled out and a small chuckle went through the crowd but I looked meaningfully at Alise and she ushered me away into her tent, yanking the blanket off and all but stripping me of every article of clothing I wore, even my smalls.

"Don't give me that look. You need to be rid of all those cold wet clothes and sit by the fire." She wrapped a dry blanket from a cot around me and forced me to sit by the small hearth she had in her tent that she used for potion making. There was a pot on it with what I could gather was a lot of elfroot.

I didn't know my body was shaking until a hand stilled me on my shoulder and I looked up from underneath the makeshift hood of the blanket to look at the mage. She gave me a pitying look as magic swirled around her hand and touched me, warming me up a bit more. "Drink this." She handed me the small glass vial filled with a blue liquid that wasn't glowing, unlike lyrium. I downed its contents in a gulp and suddenly the chill didn't feel quite so bad.

"What was it?" My voice surprisingly didn't stutter.

"A cold resistant potion." Alise rubbed the blanket on my hair, drying it and then sat down across from me. "Now…I gather it wasn't a bear?"

"No it was… at first." I stilled, looked around the tent and lowered my voice. I relayed everything that had happened to Alise. The dogs chewing up my tooth brush, my clothes. Me locking away Leo and going off to salvage it, then the owl and the bear. Running for my life and then I stopped and frowned. "I have to tell you something else first… something important. I should have told you weeks ago."

"What is it, Mercy?"

"You know the visions, well I had another one about a month ago."

"And you failed to mention it because?"

"Because it was something that I hadn't known would happen, not like the one with the breach or the explosion." There was a thought I had a while back. That these visions weren't visions at all but rather just my subconscious telling me I should do something about what I knew would happen. But seeing the Blades encased in red lyrium had never been one of them. Sure you can assume if the breach spreads and Corypheus wins that chaos reigns across Thedas but to actually see something that wasn't in game at all? That was a bit much. Right?

Right?

Short of the one instance where the Herald fights the leader of the Blades and takes over, there wasn't much interaction with them, as I recall anyway. Just a random side quest in a map that was quickly done at the beginning to get it over with. At least it had been for me.

"So, this is something new?" Alise leaned forward. "Something that other dreamer hadn't seen?" She sat down as I nodded.

"It…." I paused then and swallowed. "It involved you… and the Blades and-…and." I stared up at her feeling it overtake me. I couldn't bear the thought of seeing her corrupted by red lyrium. Even if our meeting was shaky I've come to depend on Alise a bit. And Frail, and Alon and all the blades.

So I told her. I told her as much as I thought I should. I told her about how there would be a bad man who is ingesting tainted lyrium and how he'd make others take it too. How it changes them makes them slaves to a darkspawn. I dare not say anything about Corypheus or the archdemon itself. But at least the basics I could reveal.

"Mercy, it's okay. I'm just glad you've told me." Her arms came around me, holding me close and I let loose a torrent of tears I had been holding back. "So you had another vision about this?"

"N-not ex-exactly…" I stuttered as I wiped my nose with the blanket. I was still very much naked.

"What?"

Sighing I told her what I saw after running from the bear but I didn't reveal the name of Samson. Just told her it was the bad man, the one who makes others take the tainted lyrium. I didn't want her trying to kill the man before it was time or if they were supposed to take lyrium, or maybe Emeric brings it on them himself. Either way, I fudged the truth a bit and I think she knew because she gave me a hard stare before shaking her head.

"You're hiding something. But I can tell you're telling the truth in everything else." Really? Is there a lie detector of Thedas.

"How can you tell that?"

"I may be bad at healing but I did learn to scan people." She lifted her hand where it had been resting on my wrist. "Your heartbeat was even while telling me." Oh, well that's sort of like a lie detector. I wonder if I can do that. I let my aura flare up and touch hers and I learned how she pulled and pushed at the fade to do a scan of someone; detecting their life energy. Then I replicated it, monitoring her heart rate, only it wasn't just that. I could detect her blood flow too, every twitch. It was like I could see it and feel it like it was my own.

"Ah!" I yelped when her heart rate jolted and I looked to see her pale and staring behind me to the flap of the tent.

"So… this is what you've been hiding." Alon stood there, stern as ever but not disappointed. Next to him was Frail who was looking at me curiously. "You _are_ the one the Tevinter mages were looking for."

* * *

 **GreaterGoodIreland** , That indeed was an Archer reference. Mercy makes those sometimes...

 **Holly Holiday** , I write short chapters so they go out faster. Also because the outline I have set up there are milestones and many character development points I want to hit for Mercy before Inquisition begins, so rather than having it take place in ten chapters and seeming like it happened fast, it will happen over many chapters with each chapter being roughly 2k - 4k words in length so it appears gradual. The starting chapters were relatively short because I honestly wasn't sure if I should make them longer. I just wanted them to sort of intrigue you, make you interested (Disregarding the fact I did do a re-write for the first five chapters, they will probably never see the light of day anymore).

Anyway... My companion piece to this is " _Maker Damned." I_ t's a different set up to how Mercy progresses in Thedas.


	23. Failed Revelations

_The Venatori have been obstructing my efforts in finding your "gift." If not for the convenience of the location to one of our gardens, I would suggest you come do the dirty work yourself._

 _-Samson_

 _You forget your place, Templar. Or shall I inform our Master of your disrespect. You would not wish to displease him._

 _– Calpernia_

 _Tell your Venatori to halt their efforts. I may have a lead._

 _– Samson_

 _I will only do so if you have shown promise of your find. Until then, they will continue to scour those hills._

 _– Calpernia_

I crumbled the missive. While I may have sympathized with mages in Kirkwall, the injustices sown on them by the corrupt zealots of the Chantry and the leashed dogs that were my brethren, I did not hold such sympathies for those raised in the decadence of Tevinter and believing themselves better than others. And while I may side with our Master, Calpernia does not hold my respect. No, she deserved my scorn for as often as she dismissed my skills, breathing poisons into the ear of Our Master. Yet she forgets her own place, Our Master came to me first. I am chosen, not she.

Tossing aside the stack of missives I made my way through our current encampment. The large hulking frames of the troops, their red cinnabar eyes shone dully in the brazier light as I made my way through the dwarven ruin.

We had come across it by chance and made base here, moving several of my troops and Templars here after our excursions in Emprise du Lion. It was a temporary move. This stronghold will be maintained but my Master's mage pets had a gift for Our Master and they wished me to retrieve. Yet they failed to mention what sort of gift. No doubt it was through the use of blood magic Calpernia and Erimond created this gift but I have yet to receive any information other than a great power.

Rolling my eyes, I made my rounds, speaking to every soldier and ensuring they were well supplied.

"Ser Samson!" A young man whose eyes were only just beginning to crystallize like so many of those around us. He was relatively new to the red lyrium.

"Report?"

"Our contact makes his way for here. Supplies aboard his cart." The young soldier gave the quick report. "His usual companion accompanies him. Shall I greet him?"

"No." I paused as I stared at the young soldier. "I shall. Bring me his next payment."

The Blades of Hessarian, they called themselves. I had made contact because I knew one of them. Karl, who forwarded my own missives to their leader who accepted the trade and to be eyes and ears of the lands, in search of any peculiarities. It was a beneficial arrangement as the Chantry was getting stricter with who traded lyrium, further controlling my kin.

Stepping out of the ruin we walked a ways down the shore until we could see them in the distance. A single wave greeted us. And then a flare, barely a bleep alerted me that we were not alone.

Since I began taking the red lyrium my Templar abilities had increased, magnified beyond what any normal Templar could do; further proving I was chosen. I could sense magic, the pulling of the fade around me from yards away. Typically it was fainter the further away it was. But this… this was loud, powerful and glaring.

Ambush?

Who would be so stupid as to attempt that? Clearly this was a dropper of eaves. Perhaps our contact meant to betray us.

Looking up I spied the cliff in the distance, the direction of the magic. I couldn't see anyone but I knew they were there. I watched it but nothing came, even when Emeric clambered out of his cart to greet me, ignoring the painfully obvious hulking soldiers at my sides.

I tore my eyes from the cliff, but kept my senses honed, yet nothing came.

 _Peculiar_.

* * *

I sat still, my head between my knees as I felt nausea rising. I couldn't deal with this. It was too much. Alon was discussing with Alise of what I'd told her while Frail was off fetching my bag of clothes. I could feel Alon's disappointed gaze every time there was a lull in whispers but I sat still and close to the fire. There was no fixing this, no talking my way out of this. I couldn't even show them documentation of my visions. At the very least the existence of seers in Rivain did help me, somewhat.

"-cusing Emeric of going against everything we stand for!" It was Alise whose voice rose in anger. I peeked behind me and they were both looking at me. Alon whispered something to my magic instructor and she scoffed but stormed out of the tent. Frail bumping into her on her way out.

"Clothe yourself, Mercy. Then I will… we will discuss." His eyes were hard but he stepped out of the tent to return back to supper no doubt.

"Mer?" Frail held out my bag and I nodded as I grabbed it. "Did you really see Brig with Emeric?" At my nod, Frail's brows furrowed even more and he sat down at a cot while I rummaged for my smalls to slip on. "This man… the one with the tainted Lyrium, is he from Tevinter?"

"No. He's from… I think the Free Marches." I don't really remember, I only remember Samson was mentioned in the second game. Truthfully without my sketchbook, the details were a bit hazy as time wore on for the older games.

Once dressed, Frail took his leave. I wondered if Alon had told him to stay to prevent me from running or something. Not that I knew my way around enough to actually escape. Although perhaps I could make it to Crestwood. Too late to make a break for it.

Alon came back in and sat across from me on a cot. His eyes soft and glinting in the low yet warm firelight but his brows furrowed. Either he was concerned or perturbed. Probably the latter.

"Mercy…" He began but paused and then sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "It's been a long day. Just... get some rest. If you feel ill, have Alise prepare you a tea. We will discuss in the morrow." He stood up, looked to me once and then shook his head.

"That's it? You're not going to reprimand me for speaking ill of your leader?"

Mouth meet foot.

"He is not my leader. He is _our_ leader." Alon snapped back, his eyes suddenly angry and flashing. "Or do you not remember the oath you took?" He turned fully to me and swooped down on me. "You gave yourself to the Blades of Hessarian, to him. To be a sword of Andraste."

"It's not like I had a choice!" I growled back.

"We all have a choice. And you made yours. And now… now you besmirch his name. All for what. On some notion that you… a mage who just came into her magic, can see the future? Even I know the seers of Rivain require training." He spat at me, each punctuation making me shrink away until he was bearing down on me, glaring. "You are neither trained nor skilled enough to hold your own in a fight, unless you have contacted a demon, which you have not, then you _cannot_ see what may come to pass." He pulled away and took a breath to still his shaking form.

"I..." I tried but he held his hand up.

"However… These Tevinters are looking for someone with… power. The circumstances they have described in the papers we found are too specific to _not_ be you. If you are hiding something…I suggest you tell us now so we may protect you." Alon's whole body shook with each controlled breath. "Despite your serious lack of manners and propriety toward our leader, you _are_ still one of us. Emeric will deal with your… failed attempts to sully his name. But I am in charge of your safety. So you must tell me. Do you have something the Tevinters want?"

There wasn't anything else I could think of that the Venatori might want, nothing of worth besides what I know of the future. But the only way they'd know about that would be if… if…if Corypheus knew about Earth, about my home; about the things people know over there. Why, no, _how_ would he even know?

"Aside from the future sight, which you refuse to believe me about…nothing." I spat and stood up quickly. "I'll go to bed now."

"Mercy." His hand gripped my arm tightly. "Do not attempt to-"

"I get it. Don't speak lies of Emeric." I tried to yank my arm out of his grip but he held fast.

"It isn't just the lies. If Emeric hears of you spurring against him he will take it as a challenge. Unless you intend to best him in battle, I strongly advise you rethink your words and actions." His grip lessened and I pulled away.

"You mean…"

"Yes. Either he would kill you, or you would have to kill him." Alon still looked very angry but his words were a warning. It's true I had taken the oath but I hadn't thought I gave up my freedom of speech with it. Could I really not say a thing against Emeric? Not even complain? Or…or voice what I had seen?

"Do you understand, Mercy?" At my nod he stepped forward the anger ebbing away from him. "I wish only to look out for your safety."

My safety? Wasn't he the one to ask me to _help_ Emeric? What changed?

"May I leave now, oh lieutenant?" I managed to voice softly. I watched Alon, something flickering in his eyes before he nodded and I slipped out of Alise's tent into the cold night air and managed to make my way off to bed. I climbed in next to Frail on our pushed together cots, who immediately turned over to face me.

"You're crying…"

"No…" I somehow managed to not croak but the sniff right after belied me. "I'm not crying." I sniffed.

"No… you're not." The small rogue chuckled as I buried my face into his tunic and sobbed.

I missed home. I hated this world, hated what it meant for me. I hated that I knew what would happen and I hated my damn conscious. Why couldn't I just sit back and enjoy the show? Well easy… because there might not be a show for me to watch. I might not live to see it all. But getting involved meant I might die faster, maybe even be accused of being an abomination. Could I really sit back and let what could be thousands of people die when I knew about it?

 _Could anyone?_


	24. Hysterics

"How do you spell the word 'precarious,' Jany?" I asked the elf as I poised the quill over the parchment while he rolled dough out. It was Sunday and that meant there was a lot more free time, except for Jany who still have to prepare meals, but Beltrude was doing that while Jany prepared dough for bread. And I was using the excuse of practicing my writing to write a letter.

"Sound it out." Jany smirked at me as he flipped the dough over and kneaded the large blob of gooey soon to be baked bread mix.

"You're impossible." I huffed but did sound it out, using my cheat sheet. Duchess sat at my feet while the other Mabari roamed around romping. They were getting stockier as of late. Their diet consisted primarily of meat, which was to be expected but I worry they'll hunt all the ram in the area despite what the others tell me. Sometimes they'll hunt down a bear and drag it in with the hunters.

"What are you writing anyway?" Jany's voice pulled my attention and he was looking at the paper, squinting.

"A letter." I didn't want to cover it and raise suspicions but I was writing a letter to the Divine and to Leliana. I don't know what kind of outlook the spymaster will have but maybe she'll take my warning seriously.

After the disastrous false revelations to Alon, I vowed to myself I wouldn't bring up the whole Emeric dealing with Samson and his red lyrium cronies. Not that anyone would believe me anyway. Instead I was focused on the breach. That was the more pressing issue. If I could somehow prevent it, I had to try right? It feels like the right thing to do.

And short of leaving the Blades and heading for Haven myself, which I couldn't really do considering I was more likely to die than anything, I figured a letter would be best. A letter which I was pouring over in writing as legibly as possible while also hiding the meaning in a not so obvious way.

At Jany's confused look I frowned. "Just a letter to… some family members. If… if there is ever a chance they can read it so they know I'm alright…" Using my family to cover my lie felt wrong, because I knew they would at least be worried sick about me, wondering where my plane had landed and if I had survived. Though given how long has passed, I was probably announced dead already.

"I send missives to Mira in Crestwood frequently, I could have her send it when she has the chance." Jany offered softly, touching my shoulder.

The knife of guilt twisted inside me as I used the only connection to the world outside of these hills I knew of. I'm a _terrible_ person.

"Y-you would?" I smiled as warmly as I could at Jany and thanked him while he went back to baking and I continued writing.

"If you have your letter ready by the week's end it can arrive in Crestwood by First Day, and from there where might you need it to send? I'll have to instruct Mira to forward it."

"To…." As stealthily as I could, I made sure Alise nor Alon were near. "To Haven. I have a sister who moved there to join the Chantry there." Just pile on the lies why don't you, Mercy? Just lie bare faced to one of a few people who were kind to you!

"Is everything alright?" Jany asked. "You appear to be sick."

"Oh uh… just I haven't talked to my sister in a long time is all." I bit the inside of my cheek but ducked my head and continued writing. It took a bit of finagling and thinking up words and making phrases awkward but I had a letter written. A letter with a code that I have no doubt Leliana would get the meaning from. And in the letter was the sub letter for Divine Justinia V. It was a start.

I avoided trouble, _and made it double pfft,_ I did my duties and skirted away from Alon whenever possible. Alise and I were kept on different duty schedules. Sunday passed, and then Monday and then it was Tuesday when Emeric and Brig returned. Brig had his eyes downcast and immediately shuffled off to sleep. I spied Frail slip in there not a moment later from my position teaching the mabari the difference between friend and foe, not that they needed much help with that.

Alon and Emeric disappeared into the cabin with hushed whispers and clear signs of an argument. I ducked away from the blades transporting the traded goods to their proper storage spots and slipped to the one corner by Emeric's cabin that no one would spot me easily.

Sliding until my side was flush with the wood, I leaned my ear against it and closed my eyes. I could hear Duchess's happy breathe by me, the other mabari no doubt took my leave to mean they can once again go around ensuring nothing had claimed their territory again.

Hearing nothing inside the cabin, I cupped one hand around my ear and used the other to cover the other. It took a bit of straining but I could finally make out what Alon and Emeric spoke about. At first it was nothing but trade agreements with local traders, how the other camps were doing in terms of supplies, movement of bear packs and wolf packs around the hills. Some Dalish Clan was spotted along the northern camp.

All very interesting but not what I thought they'd be talking about given they had been arguing. But still I listened in. And I was rewarded, eventually.

"Is there anything else?" Emeric said.

"Yes… I feel I must inform you of how our newest is doing."

"Oh? Is the Lady Mercy performing well?"

"That she is. Minimal complaints although… she seems to have it in her mind that she knows the future."

There was a beat of silence and then laughter. "Truly? Oh dear. And what does she say about the future?"

"I'm not sure I understand it but something about an explosion of sorts. And…"

"And?" More silence. "What makes my great lieutenant pause?"

"She seems to have a notion that you are involved with… something she referred to as red lyrium monsters."

The silence after that was longer.

"Do you understand?"

Wait what? Had he whispered to Alon? I missed something. What happened?

"Y-yes, sir." That was Alon. He was stuttering? Why? "I shall fetch her now."

Fetch who? Me? SHIT!

I scrambled away from the cabin and made it to the barn as stealthily as possible for me, which wasn't all that stealthy considering Bryant looked at me bewildered as he tended to the horses.

"Sorry." I muttered and slipped toward the back of the barn, Duchess at my heel whining. "Shh, girl. Go… go get your brothers and sisters it's lunch time." The runt of the litter chuffed at me but went off as I began preparing their food.

I expected Alon to come find me at any moment but it never happened. I fed the mabari and still no one came. Which led me to believe it wasn't me Alon had to fetch. Who then?

Venturing out, I spied into the encampment, watching some of the Blades playing with the mabari, or rather honing their hunting skills by play fighting. My duties of training them had lessened now that they were beginning to learn to hunt. They were still puppies though so they only went on short hunting trips, they weren't ready for battle.

I helped Jany with some more preparations. Grinding sea salt chunks down so it's easier to use. I helped Patrice with some binding of new leather shoes and boots, even helped me fix up the seam on my leather shoes. Then dinner rolled around and I watched Alon and Alise walking side by side. Alise looking grim and Alon determined. Emeric eventually joined us but I didn't really care about him.

Dinner was uneventful, except that neither Alon nor Alise would meet my gaze but Emeric paid closer attention to me and that was unsettling in and of itself.

As I made my way to bed, I spied Frail at the tent entrance holding my bags. "What are you doing with those?" He wouldn't meet my gaze but handed it over. "Frail?"

"I tried to convince him otherwise."

I didn't get to ask because Alon's grip on my arm pulled me from Frail, my bags snatched from the small rogue and I was pushed forward, toward Emeric's cabin.

Oh no. Am I dead? Will I have to fight Emeric for the things I said?

"Alon, what's happening?" The ginger man didn't respond but once the cabin was opened he all but pushed me in and dropped my bags at my feet and the door closed. Quickly I did a survey of the cabin to ensure I was alone, not having been in here since my first day when I was sick. I noted one glaring difference. My cot sat on the opposite wall to Emeric's much larger and, thanks to my memory, much softer one.

Did they expect me to sleep in here?

The door opened and I spun around to watch Emeric come in with a bucket of cold water. "Mercy. Good."

"I'm not sleeping in here." I blurted out immediately. Emeric rolled his eyes and moved past me, dumping the water from his bucket into the pot on the fire.

"Of course you are. Given your recent misbehavior, your punishment, although some in our ranks would consider this an award, is to sleep here under my watch."

"Misbehavior?! Just how have I been misbehaving?" I retorted following him. He was too calm, too well together as he added what looked like a pouch of leaves.

"Truly? Well… shall I recount the things Alon has told me you've been spouting? Were it not for the fact I am merciful," Emeric smirked at that and I ground my teeth, "I probably would have slain you right where you stand, my lady." He mock bowed at me.

"So… this is punishment?"

"Given I know you find my presence less than appealing, yes. This is punishment." Emeric stood to his full height, daring me to speak up or try anything.

"Fine." I snatched my bags, dropping them by my cot and climbed in and yanked the furs and blankets over my fully clothed self.

I could hear his footsteps through the layers of clothe that covered me and then he placed a hand right where my shoulder was.

"Goodnight, Mercy." There was a chuckle to his voice and I hated it. I _hated_ him.

Eventually his footsteps went back to the table but instead of the lights dimming, I could tell from the edges of the blanket the fire remained high and then I heard the scribbling noise of a quill, the occasional turn of papers, and Emeric sipping whatever he had brewed which smelled divine.

I couldn't sleep because I was uncomfortable. I was uncomfortable because I hadn't switched to my sleeping clothes and my boots were still on as well. I didn't want Emeric, who was known for hovering too close and lingering inappropriately and for propositioning me, to see me even the least bit in a state of undress. Wasn't this highly inappropriate anyway for a gentlemen to have a lady sleep in his quarters if they weren't married? Then again I spent the last two months in either Alon's or Frail and Brig's tent, impropriety clearly isn't all that important to me.

I sat up noisily and stared hard at him, no I glared. He didn't look up and merely continued whatever he was doing. For twenty minutes until finally he got up only to refill his cup of tea. He spied me staring and snickered.

"If you wish to have some, you may help yourself."

Not wanting to seem childish for not doing it, I rose and got myself some tea while he sat back down. And when I sat at the table as well I noticed him wearing these funny looking gold rimmed spectacles. I choked because they did not suit him. He looked at me over the top of them and folded his hands.

"Something funny?"

"You look ridiculous in those." I did not filter my words, but my guard was still very much up as I look at anywhere but him.

"They serve their function. If you intend to stay up with me, I suggest you practice your craft." He went back to writing, what I couldn't tell.

"My craft?"

"Your magic? Your supposed futuresight as well? Would it not be in your best interests to keep those skills up?" The twinkle in his eyes let me know he was making fun of me. "It is afterall common from where you come from, is it not?"

I paled. "What…"

"Oh yes. Alise revealed to me how in your homeland, you all dream of the future." He sipped his tea. "Curious thing, considering you once told me you didn't come from this world." He looked at his tea and then at me. "Or was that a lie? Or is what you told Alise the lie? You have spouted many lies to my family, I wonder how hurt they would be if they knew." His eyes glinted and he rested his chin on his hands. "Perhaps I should tell them, after all they've known me for many years and you… only for a few short months. Why would they wish to believe you over me?"

"I…" I didn't have any rebuttal because it's true. Some members I told the truth and others I lied… I even lied to Jany, straight to his face. If they ever… spoke to each other or were revealed to about what I've said how would they know who I told the truth to.

"Ahh, now it clicks. Good, I was worried you were as inept as I originally thought you were. But I see you are quite the master of weaving tales. This notion that you are powerful, well that's just your defense to feel important amongst a group of apparent strangers." Emeric snorted but picked his quill back up and continued writing. "Don't worry. I will say nothing, so long as you do as I ask."

The bottom of my stomach dropped out from under me. "I'm not sleeping with you." I hissed out.

"As if I had such a wish anymore. I see the way you cling desperately to Alon at times, or Frail or Brig. You, my dear, are a slattern and have beguiled my men. I only wonder if that is how you gained Alise's loyalty."

A Slat what… Did he just call me a prostitute? Blood rushed to my cheeks and I stood up. "I haven't slept with anyone!" I growled out.

"Oh? We do not judge here, but everyone has their own thoughts. You jumped into Alon's tent at the drop of hat when you first woke and when he rebuffed your advances you slunk into the den of Frail and Brig's… I'd say many amongst the ranks believe you do not fail to keep your legs shut for too long." Emeric sipped his tea calmly. "It is what many will think we are engaging in now."

Like a suckerpunch in the wind, that knocked me back and chilled my bones.

"Now, Mercy do sit down and allow me to lavish you with the attention you so desire." His lips quirked up and he pointed at the chair next to him.

"You're disgusting." My voice shook and I could feel the tears in my eyes that threatened to fall. I flipped a chair over and Emeric didn't respond, merely sat there. I grabbed his tea and flung it at the ground.

It was childish, immature but I was just so… so angry. And if I hit him, I was sure I'd be dead in an instant. I knocked over his books, his papers, things on the shelf. Anything to vent my anger and finally I grew tired and glared up at the still immobile Emeric who looked to me. He rose and came toward me. I scrambled back until I hit a wall and he bent down on one knee.

"I expect you to clean up after your temper tantrum." His hand went to touch me but I swatted it away out of instinct only to have my hand gripped tightly. "I would never force a woman, not even one of your particular talents, Mercy." He was too close. "However, if you change your mind. The offer to share my bed still stands."

He rose and collected his papers and slid them to a now empty spot on the shelf and walked to his cot where I watched as he stripped naked. I averted my eyes until I heard him roll over.


	25. Cat & Mouse Plus Dog

I woke up to the feel of a calloused hand on my cheek lifting my head up. "Wake up." The voice snapped me out of my fitful slumber, a crick in my neck had me groaning and my back ached. I had fallen asleep right there on the ground. Emeric hovered over me and I pushed him away as the events and words of last night hit me. He merely chuckled but raised his hands.

"Don't ever touch me." I groggily tried to hiss as I stood up and distanced myself, nearly tripping over the mess I made and hadn't picked up. I looked down and then to Emeric, raising my nose defiantly and glared at him.

"I see you're going to make this difficult." His tone was even and his eyes seemed bored but he strode toward the door and walked out, barking for Alon. How long had I slept that Alon was already awake? I usually woke because of the cold really early, whereas the cabin was deliciously warm.

The ginger lieutenant came in and gaped at the mess. "Clean this up Alon, Mercy and I had a rough tumble last night so she may be a bit banged up where we got… out of hand." Emeric smirked and looked back at me.

My eyes wide, I stared hard at Emeric, wanting very much to blast him with a fireball, if only I knew how. But if he can make this look like we had… I shudder to think what other situations he could twist to make me look like… _that._

"Oh. Uh… y-yes sir." Alon wouldn't look at me, his eyes downcast as he began cleaning up my mess. I moved to bend down to help but a grunt had me pausing. Sleeping on the floor was really bad. "It's alright, Lady Mercy." He wouldn't look at me, his face turned down and his eyes focusing on the floor as he continued to pick up things I had knocked over. I spied a flush of red on his cheeks but said nothing as I stood up and let him clean up my mess.

I left the cabin and shuffled off to Alise's tent, where I spied the woman asleep on a cot. Unwilling to disturb her, I left and went to take care of the dogs. Moar and Trouble greeted me excitedly as I filled their water trough and then went to visit Jany's tent to see about some meat.

As I walked across I paused to see Brig peering at me from his and Frail's tent. 'Come here. Urgent.' He signed to me and slipped back inside. Looking left and then right, I spied Emeric still at his cabin entrance watching Alon. Carefully I entered the tent and was pulled into a hug by Frail.

"Frail!"

"Did he touch you? Did he make any untoward advances?" Frail was lifting my arms up and examining me like a mother hen. His eyes quick and sharp but dreadfully worried.

"Thankfully no… I… I thought you…you wouldn't believe me either."

"I believe you. Plus, Brig confirmed what you saw. Brig never lies."

I looked to Brig and he looked down at the ground sadly. I'd have asked why he didn't tell anyone but knowing he only just got a handle of sign language let me know. Looking to Frail who was still examining me made me want to cry but I swallowed the lump in my throat.

I relayed what did happen to them as quickly as I could, worried someone would come looking for us. When I was finished Brig stood up grabbed me and pulled me in sharply for a hug and pet my hair. The big guy rarely was affectionate so this was a surprise.

"I can't believe Emeric would insinuate that you… you and I… and BRIG? No… Just… grrr… I'm not even attracted to women, no offense Mercy." He snapped and paced up and down the tent.

"None taken." I smiled as I watched him get upset for me. I was still upset but I couldn't linger on that. I had to concentrate on what was important. "It doesn't matter though. I still have to do something about the breach."

Frail paused and looked to Brig. Brig looked at me curiously. 'B-R-E-A-C-H?'

"I uh… only told him about the red lyrium thing, I didn't explain everything else to him." Frail looked at me sheepishly. "I figured if you were telling the truth about that… then everything else was true, too."

"No… you're… you're right. I need to come clean about a few things to some people. But not right now. I'll tell you about the Breach later Brig… or Frail can. Considering you guys are on scout duty tonight?" At their nod I left and went about my duties.

A little after lunch, I was barking orders at the mabari, seeing how fast they could react to a situation when it changed, when Alon stepped up to me.

"You do not have to do this anymore, you realize."

I peered at him and scowled. "Why not? I'm pulling my weight."

"Yes but…"

"Alon." I looked to him as he lowered his eyes. "Look at me." He wouldn't.

"You're his now. I do not have the right to look at you, Lady Mercy."

"Why is that? I'm not his, I'm not his fucking _property_ like a… like a _slave_." I growled and Alon's eyes widened but he still refused to meet my gaze. "I'm my own person. Just because I'm part of the Blades doesn't mean my own personal freedoms go away. And if you think that I would ever… ever let that man touch me like…" I visibly shuddered. "…you have seriously not been paying attention to how I avoid him whenever possible." I gaped for breath after saying that.

"Why would Emeric say-"

"Because he knows how much it fucking bothers me!" I hissed at him, lightning charging up my arms in response. Why was it always lightning? Closing my eyes, I calmed myself and turned back to the dogs that were looking at me and Alon curiously. Duchess and Leo were wrestling… or wait. No they weren't wrestling. "LEO! You're too young to be doing something like that!" I walked up and pulled him off the runt and smacked his nose softly. "You're not even sexually mature yet, how do you even have these urges…"

"Actually, they are the right age to begin breeding, if we were breeders." Alon said softly as he looked down. "Mercy…I-"

"Just stop. He's your leader, I get it. You've known him longer, I _get it_. I'm the outsider. I know how it looks. Just drop it, I don't..." I sighed and rubbed my temples. "I don't want to dwell on this."

I crossed my arms and continued barking orders at dogs. Ha. _Barking_. That pulled a lackluster smirk from me.

* * *

Before dinner I met Jany in his and Mira's tent and handed over my letter. Thankfully he wasn't judging me for the recent gossip that had spread to the other Blades. He slipped it between a bundle of parchment, explaining how he wrote Mira every day and sent it once a week. It was cute, seeing how utterly devoted he was to his beloved.

I helped him with dinner, but rather than sit down with the rest of the blades I picked up two plates and hurried off to Alise's tent before she could wander out to join the rest or be seen by Emeric.

"Mercy?" She looked up surprised from whatever potion she was working on.

"I need help proving what I've seen is real."

"Mercy."

"I was thinking using the same concoction I drank from the ritual."

"Mercy." I ignored her and set her plate down but she grabbed my hand. "Mercy… there is little I can do."

"What do you mean?"

"After First Day I will be switching camps with Yvette." Her eyes were forlorn and her brows furrowed.

Switching camps? No. NO. "No. _No_ … you have to stay, you're the only one that _understands_." I gripped her arms. "It's Emeric… he…he was saying how I used my body to get you to believe me…"

"Mercy… this has nothing to do with that. Although... you're not my type." She grinned at me, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"What? I'm _everybody's_ type." I pursed my lips but it dropped as I realized that she was indeed leaving. "Why do you have to leave?"

"Every few months we swap out mages because one camp gets attacked more on average than the other. It's to give the other a break. However, you're here and you're a much better healer than I am, so I will be moving to one of the other camps while you take over my duties." She pulled a book I had seen her writing in frequently. "This is for you, to prepare healing poultices. I also have a recipe for lyrium potions that you must follow the measurements and precautions exactly, we don't want you becoming lyrium addled."

Sighing, I grabbed the book and set it aside and looked at the mage. "It's not fair."

"Many things in life aren't fair. We can still see each other on scouting duty." She grinned as she picked at the food on her plate. I had no doubt Emeric was behind this. He was systematically separating me from my only friends here and the only ones who believed me. I had to do something.

" – you were saying?" Alise looked at me expectantly. At my blank look she mock glared. "You were saying something about the ritual?"

"Oh… just an idea I had. I had my biggest vision after drinking that potion or whatever it was right after I took my oath. I was wondering maybe I might trigger another vision if I drink it again?"

"That is a good idea, if not for one thing." Alise looked apologetically at me. "Emeric prepares it and it is stored in his cabin." Damnit. "But you have access to his cabin." _Damnit_ …

Sighing as I rested my head on my hands. Alise patted my shoulder. "That's going to be tricky with him practically there."

"Come now. I'm sure you can… what did you say? _Use your body_ to distract him?" She was teasing, surely.

"Gross. He's disgusting."

"Well…"

"Alise! Nooo he's creepy."

"I remember a time when I lusted after him. At the time he had a woman, mind you. Ahh pity."

"A woman?" Why do they phrase it like that? Not… a love interest? A lover? A girlfriend. Why do they have to call it like the woman was his property? "A question, if you'll indulge me Alise."

"As if I wouldn't." I mock glared and she gave me a cheeky grin while popping a piece of bread into her mouth.

"Alon said he had no right to look at me because I was Emeric's woman now. Aside from the fact it's a lie…" I trailed off at Alise's bewildered look that turned dark.

"Emeric is claiming you. All other males in the encampment are forbidden from looking at you if they harbor any feelings toward you." If they harbor… wait. WAIT. "That means Emeric knows Alon fancies you, if even the slightest. Ah it makes sense considering the last woman Emeric claimed…"

I tuned her out. Alon… fancied me? This was news to me. Well I mean… there were all the close calls. His accidentally seeing me naked. Or were they accidental? Was he intentionally walking in on me? I flushed at the thought. If I had known earlier, like a month earlier I might have invited him into my bed but now… now I was still angry at him for not believing me. Could I really fault him for that, though?

I shook my head and then shook it again. No. I have to stay focused. The Breach is the most important thing right now. I had to see more of it and if I could trigger another vision with that ritual drink, then even better.

"…she ended up toying with both our leader and lieutenant." Alise finished off whatever she had gone off on. I briefly felt bad for not listening but simply nodded. I couldn't rely on Alise for this. Better to leave her out of this as I was sure Emeric was still sending her away to isolate me.

She and I discussed more of her duties and how I'll be the camp's primary healer and to ensure I take breaks between each healing to replenish my mana. This I knew already, although I would be remiss to tell her how I knew. Really it's common sense to any gamer to let your mage recuperate mana either by feeding them a potion or letting it regenerate over time in most games. Not that I'd ever tell her _that_.

I had the books I needed from her and did a quick test to show her I indeed knew how to prepare a simple elfroot potion by myself. It was a lot like making tea no… more like a soup but with just elfroot and letting it stew until it formed a thick sauce of sorts as the natural oils of the elfroot was sapped out. If you let it stew longer, add embrium, and let it form a paste you've get a healing poultice, which were used to place on wounds that couldn't be fully healed with just magic. Then you bandaged the wound up. This was assuming no organs had been damaged beyond repair.

I left her tent feeling dejected. I'll be losing her come First Day but hopefully right after that, people (namely Emeric and Alon) will see that I am telling the truth. That is assuming the breach happens on or around First Day.

As I walked toward Emeric's cabin doubt snuck its way into my mind.

What if the Breach _doesn't_ happen as soon as it turns 9:41? What if it takes a few days? A few weeks? After all the seasons never really change in the game, you don't know what time of year it is, only that it starts in the Frostback Mountains, which based on the name alone means they are always snowy no matter the time of year.

The Hinterlands looked about to be early winter or late winter when the Herald trampled through it in my games. Was it winter? Or was it spring?

I couldn't even count on the dates for the events in Halamshiral at the Winter Palace. It was used as a ball and setting for talks between the Grand-Duke what's-his-name and the Empress Celene. Just because the palace is called the Winter Palace, doesn't mean it is only ever used _during_ winter.

Chewing my lip, I entered the cabin to see Emeric, Alon, Patrice, and Bryant around the table. Cards perched in their hands as visible gold sovereigns were dumped into the center. _Wha-what_?

"Ah, Mercy. Good you're here." Emeric turned to me, a clear glint in his eyes as he stood and pulled a seat out presumably for me.

I narrowed my eyes at Emeric and walked past the offered chair to put the books in my cot only to freeze as I saw mine and Emeric's cots were pushed together, in the center as though it was one large bed with bedding and blankets bundled together. My bag of clothes were missing but I spied my other pair of boots at the end of the conjoined cots right next to Emeric's.

Lightning burst from my fingers as I formed a fist, slammed the books on the small nightstand, for lack of a better word and about faced to see the others had looked back at me. Emeric's grin became smug as he leaned against the chair he had vacated.

Accusing him of lying in front of his most loyal followers would get me nowhere. I took a deep breath. "I'm sleepy. I thought I'd…" I gulped as I decided to play along. "… _we'd_ retire early." I fought back the horrified and disgusted feeling and looked dead on at Emeric who raised one shocked eyebrow but nodded. He made to open his mouth to, I assume, agree with me but was interrupted.

"Surely, one game won't hurt?" This was Alon. Alon had asked and he dared to look up and we made eye contact. I felt a fluttering inside.

Have I ever said how weak I am?

* * *

 **Doombug** : As satisfying as killing Emeric in his sleep would be, it wouldn't end well for her if she did considering there is a FULL encampment of his supporters, friends and "family" right outside the cabin.

 **5 Coloured Walker** : Thank you for the sentiments but I think so far it's appropriately valued considering there has been little contact with any of the canon characters thus far. I'm sure once that happens it will be "valued" a bit more but for now I'm comfortable with my small little niche of readerships. If I started with a lot of readers I'd be hesitant to move Mercy away from the Blades as the chapters progress. But for now, it's more than fine.


	26. Hunger

**WARNING:** There is NSFW content in this chapter.

* * *

"One game." I said as I sat down at the offered chair. Emeric smirked as he pushed it in, acting the supposed perfect gentleman. "And don't call me Shirley." The old joke came out easily and a second after I doubt any of them would get it until a short bark of laughter came from Patrice who smacked my shoulder and Bryant was snickering into his cup. I looked to Alon who wouldn't stop looking at me and I gulped. It was suddenly very _very_ warm in that cabin.

"Brandy?" Emeric held the offered drink to me as Bryant dealt me in. I recognized the layout as Wicked Grace, which was essentially poker.

"No, thank you." I turned it down but he placed the bottle in front of me anyway and sat back down.

"Five silvers?" Bryant asked as he dropped two glittering silver pieces into the center.

Uh-oh.

"I match, and raise you two more." Patrice dropped more coins in and everyone looked to me.

"I don't have any coin…"

"Yes. We know. That's why you'll drink." Emeric's eyes gleamed as he placed two very small wooden cups next to the bottle of brandy. They looked like shot glasses. "Ten silvers equals one of these." He tapped one cup and looked to me, expecting me to back down.

That motherfucking _bastard_. Two can play this game. I grinned wide and narrowed my eyes. "Fine. I raise three." I snatched a cup up and slammed it in the center, jostling the other coins.

"You haven't even looked at your cards, Mercy." Alon said and I grinned wide.

"Don't need to." I sat back and pulled my cards up as the others snorted.

* * *

I said one game yet I pulled another small pile of silver coins to my side after five games. As I won I felt ten times better than I have felt since arriving in Thedas because I actually had coin!

Which means I could buy things! I could actually buy things with money I earned, well… bluffed my way to. I had robbed Emeric of most of the coin he would allow himself to bet, and he was now eating his own suggested method saying I "pay" with drinking. Ha. Now he was the one under by four drinks and blinking at his cards wildly. Patrice was already drunk off her ass as I had turned her into drinking a goblet of ale as compensation. I didn't want to rob everyone.

Bryant had already retired to bed and it was just Alon, Emeric, and me playing with Patrice snoring away next to me.

Victoriously, I counted each silver piece and added them to the new coin purse I had made out of one of my old socks and laughed as I shook the heavy article of clothing, the coins jangling inside. I'd need a proper coin purse eventually but this was lovely to have.

"I think, that's enough playing for tonight." Alon smiled. Alon was the only one who actually kept up with me, I only ever lost one round to him, and that was the first one. I suspect he let me win after that but I wasn't going to say anything or gloat.

"You… maaaaay be right." Emeric rose but he nearly tripped. I did nothing to help but the lieutenant rushed to steady his leader. I snorted but pulled all the cards together and began cleaning up. That seemed to snap Patrice out of her daze as well and she simply rose up, her single working eye swiveled to stare at each of us before she shuffled out of the cabin, a lot more steady on her feet than I thought she'd be.

"Mercy, help me put Emeric to bed." I looked at Alon and glared but then I grinned.

"Certainly. I rose up but rather than help Alon guide the blonde bastard to bed, I rushed to the beds and separated my cot from the conjoined mess and yanked my bedding from the pile and made sure the cots were as separate from each other as possible. I turned to see Alon giving me a deadpanned look.

"Truly?"

"Truly. I told you he's only doing it because he knows how much it bothers me. Like a freaking kid with a…" I scowled at that thought but pulled the blankets back on Emeric's cot, stepping out of the way as Alon pushed him into it and covered him up, after removing his boots.

Once Emeric was settled, we both turned to the mess and began cleaning up the mess of cards, cups, and chairs. Alon took the extra chairs back outside while I rinsed the cups out with water and set them up to dry on the mantel of the hearth. I righted the table to where it was supposed to go and then looked around. Everything was in order nothing was out of place.

Alon hadn't returned yet, I wonder if he would.

Wait. I was alone. Emeric was practically passed out, Alon wasn't here. I could search the cabin with no one watching. Quickly, I went to the shelves by the hearth first. My fingers slipping in between each box and cup to find anything with that sweet and red concoction I drank for the ritual. From top to bottom I searched. I checked each shelf the cabin had to offer. I found a small chest on one of the shelves and it was locked.

Peeking back at Emeric, I glared. Why would he need a locked chest? I had even found where he kept his coins, what did he have in here? Setting it aside, it wasn't likely in there, was it? Better exhaust all other efforts first.

I checked the two large chests and I found a glass bottle with a handwritten label. It had a cork stopped on it and when I pulled it off, I could smell the familiar sickly sweet scent. I tasted the cork and nearly gagged at the overly saccharine taste. This was it.

Peeking inside I could tell there wasn't much left but it would have to do. I slipped it into my bag, to use later, just as the door open. I stood up and faced Alon, trying to look as innocent as possible.

"Apologies. I had to stop to assign the new guards and scouts and I wanted to ensure Patrice had made it to her tent." Alon looked around and his lips lifted into a halfhearted smile that didn't reach his eyes or words. "I see you've finished. I…I suppose I shall bid you goodnight."

"Alon." I stepped up before he could turn back to the door. The same fluttering was back.

"Yes?" His eyes seemed to brighten with hope, his brows raised as well.

I lost whatever it was I was going to say, instead I just stared at him. The silence ticking by as my nerves reared up and prevented me from speaking. I licked my lips self-consciously and his eyes were drawn to them. I watched as his pupils dilated, darkening his eyes and then he was looking up at me hungrily. His lips mouthed something, but I wasn't paying attention as he took a step closer.

My cheeks must have been flushed red because when his frigid cold hand touched it, I moaned at the contrast. And then his lips were on mine, hot wet hard lips and they were mashed against me. His other hand pulling me closer and then digging into my hair. I grabbed his shoulders, standing on my tip toes.

It was hot, stoking a need in both of us as he moaned my name into my lips and maker, oh by the maker how I felt my legs clench in anticipation. It was just a kiss and I was weak to it. He licked my lips and entered and I dueled him, fighting for control. His hands slid down me and gripped my hips pulling me flush and I gasped feeling his very apparent arousal.

A grunt from Emeric's cot, however, had Alon stepping back panting and leaving me feeling cold.

A moment of silence and nothing came from the cot again.

"Mercy, we can't."

"To the void with that." I hissed and pounced on him. His hands gripped my legs as they wrapped around his waist. My arms gripping his shoulders pulling myself up on him. His back all but slammed against the wall. Our lips meeting again, exploring each other with fervor. I sucked, bit, and teased his mouth and he groaned, holding me up.

His arousal rubbed against my center and I moaned.

I _needed_ this.

I needed _him_.

He couldn't hold me up despite the flexing of his arms because the next moment he was sliding down to the floor and I ground against him. His responding hiss let me know he wanted this just as much as me.

"Temptress, you are a temptress." He whispered harshly into my ear as he pulled me away from him, but his eyes remained alight with lust. "And like a fool, I must have you. Maker forgive me." He gave a silent prayer and then he was on me again. Lips hot and hands unbuttoning my vest and tunic, splaying it open and yanking my bra down and cupping my breasts.

My fingers worked at my pants, hastily pushing at least one leg off

It's been so long. So long. "You're wearing too many clothes." My voice was husky in his ear and he grunted in agreement. His own tunic shoved off and his belt unbuckled and his trousers unbuttoned. All those times I shared his tent I never realized how efficient and fast he could undress. Handy, especially now.

His skin was cold against me, but he warmed as he nuzzled against my chest, lips and tongue teasing, twirling around each of my nipples. When he bit one lightly, I gasped, and his hand slapped over my mouth. He looked at me. "Be quiet, temptress, or I shall give you something to keep your mouth silent."

Oh… _Oh please_ do.

I gripped his hair as he delved lower and lower, his tongue and mouth kissing the expanse of my belly, my thighs and finally… I shuddered, pleased as he lapped at me, his fingers pushing my legs open wider. Then his long fingers were inside of me, pressing, pushing and then-

I gasped into my arm as I threw it over me, I peeked down to see Alon watching me as he explored me. Again I jolted as he found it, how did he- OH! I saw white lightning in my vision, crawling over as once again he stroked that spot again and my body shook. Again and again he stroked it, waiting between each until finally he was sitting up with a mischievous grin. My legs trembled. I was on the very edge.

"Y-you…" I panted and he leaned forward.

"Me?" He breathed with a laugh and then yanked my legs toward him until he could settle his arousal at my sopping entrance.

I was laying against the wood flooring and staring up at Alon when something pretty important came to me then as Alon rubbed his head to wet it, preparing to plunge. This was raw. As in _raw_ , no condom, no protection.

I wanted to protest but then Alon's mouth met mine, swallowing my gasp as he pushed in, slowly at first and then rammed in and I lost all thought as the hunger overtook me. A deep primal want filled us as our hips rutted against each other.

It was sloppy, sometimes we didn't meet our rhythm and other times it was in sync but I do know that when I heard Alon's breath turned ragged against my ear, and his thrusts became shallow and quick, it was almost going to end. I had been close to the edge but I needed to get there soon. I tried to wiggle my hand between our slick bodies but he gripped both of mine and held them above my head and tutted.

"Naughty, Mercy." I moaned as his hand dipped between us to do what I had planned and his fingers flicked, rubbed and tweaked my clit until my completion, even as his hips dug into mine.

It was overpowering, even as I knew actual lightning was bursting from my hands and arms as it filled my vision and then I was coming down, watching Alon with his eyes closed as he gave a few final short thrusts and he was undone.

All of this against the floor of Emeric's cabin.


	27. Swollen

Alon's post coital kisses were slow, languid and made me ache inside, ache for more and ache for the chance to cuddle with him. Yet we both knew that snuggling on the floor was less than ideal so, he pulled away and I attempted to sit up, but my ginger lover halted me. "Allow me." He whispered, pulling a handkerchief from his tunic pocket and cleaned up my nether region so I wasn't dripping all over.

Which reminded me.

"Alon… how… how do I prevent…" I whispered and pointed downward. I tried to say it with tack, otherwise I'd be terrified of offending him. I mean, they had to have some forms of contraception here. Right?

The answering chuckle brought some relief I hadn't hurt him. He leaned forward and captured my lips again. "I'll prepare you the tea." He mumbled into my ear and then he was standing up.

A tea? Well that sounded a lot more pleasant than a pill. I'd never been very good at taking pills and while I _have_ taken a contraceptive shot in the last year, I wasn't sure if my sudden transportation here or the fact I was suddenly a mage would have any effect on that. Better safe than sorry, right?

Once I was standing, I pulled my trousers back up and slowly buttoned them again. I looked up once and Alon was more or less put together, his tunic and vest almost completely done up. "How do you know how to dress so fast? While I'm here fumbling with all these buttons." Exasperated, I began buttoning up my tunic, but Alon pushed my hands aside as he took over. His deft fingers were quick, efficient in puling the buttons through the hole. It was over as quickly as our tryst.

"Warriors must be ready to fight at a moment's notice. You've only just begun fighting, from what I hear you helped take down some bandits a few weeks ago. Now imagine if they came into the camp, while we slept. You'd need to don your gear quickly or risk fighting without your armor." He explained as he began pushing my hair back and then stepped to stand behind me. His fingers braiding my hair in the method I usually did.

"Oh. I'll have to get used to it."

"I'm more concerned with how your combative skills have improved." He whispered into my ear as he stepped back. "In the morrow, I will see about testing your skills."

"All business now that pleasure is done?" I pursed my lips while I crossed my arms. His hair was mussed and in a state of disarray, no doubt by my hands and his lips looked absolutely swollen. I reached one hand up and fixed his hair, but he grabbed my hand and kissed my palm.

"Never." His pupils were still dilated but he pulled away.

* * *

The weight of a sword was a cumbersome thing, especially when you aren't used to carrying it let alone using a sword. Still, I hefted the metal thing in one hand because I needed to have one hand free to cast magic.

"Are you ready?" Alon queried from across the training area. His brows rose and his eyes were cold and calculating. I glared.

Last night was amazing, raw fast and absolutely worth it. After we had dressed ourselves we had a few more moments of kissing and cuddling, Alon prepared for me a tea. The foulest tea I will ever have the pleasure of drinking. It smelled like pig shit and tasted like pig piss. I wasn't sure what was worse. It was so disgusting and revolting but all for the sake of preventing an unwanted pregnancy right? I'll have to ask Alise if there was a spell or some other alternative so I'd never have to torture myself with that again. Once that was done we both went to bed and I slept wonderfully, even if it was a few feet from a snoring hungover Emeric.

However, all of this morning, Alon has been behaving as if it didn't happen. And short of the fact that I knew I had Alon-hand sized bruises on my hips, bite marks on my inner thighs, and the very obvious feeling of being thoroughly fucked, I would have believed I had imagined it. But there was proof, proof only I knew about but proof nonetheless.

Breakfast came and Alon would not sit near me, nor look at me. And when duties were assigned today, he dismissively told me I'd be in the training ring today as the mabari were being taken out for hunting.

Training, yeah because the last time that happened, I totally didn't land multiple hits to your boys.

Oh, my blood was boiling. For another world, men here sure acted like they did back home, at least this one did.

At my nod, Alon positioned himself "Do not be scared to use magic against me, I'm well aware of your progress." Alon stated as he pulled his own sword and shield up. What I don't understand is why I am using a bastard sword when we had already determined that short swords were much better for me.

Either way, I shot a glare at Alon as I began my foot movements. I'd gotten better at remaining on my feet, at least when I wasn't accidentally blowing myself up by rushed runework. I toed around the ring, Alon matching my movements.

I didn't want to wait for him to start so I pushed my hand forward with an Arcane Blast. Alon sidestepped out of the way and was on my side. I turned bringing the sword up to block him. Obviously my blocking and parry skills were terrible but he didn't put his full weight into it and I could tell but he pushed enough that he was close.

"Your lips are still swollen." He whispered quickly and then he was gone and I felt the pommel of his sword at my back and had just enough time to cast an arcane shield before he hit me.

Bewildered, I stared at him as I put distance between us and I could feel my cheeks turning red. I looked at Alon but he was the very definition of professionalism. One solitary eyebrow rose but I looked at him with narrowed eyes. What the fuck was _that_?

Were my lips swollen? I went to touch my lips but Alon charged forward and I had to dodge away, the skirt of my robe twirling around me and we had switched sides. I barely had anytime to recover my balance when Alon was once again on me, but not in the way I wanted.

His sword clanged against mine and his shield knocked into my side, knocking me down and into the mud. "Ugh…" I groaned as the mud splashed up around me. Great, now I'd have to clean my robe and jacket again.

Grumbling, I took Alon's offered hand as he helped me to my feet. He picked up the sword as I yanked off the jacket. I was sure to start sweating buckets anyway. I flung it over the railing, hoping the mud might wash off in the cold misty weather. That'd make my life easier.

Alon handed me back my sword and positioned my arm. I'm confused. What was-

"Not those lips." He whispered softly as he righted my shoulders and kicked my leg to position it to take the brunt of a shield bash.

My cheeks were no doubt red as I saw his lips quirk up briefly into a smirk. I very much wanted to both slap him and kiss him then but just as quickly he was stepping back, the cold distant demeanor was back.

What in the void was happening?!

He tilted his head and waited for me to make the first move this time. Glaring, I took a look around us, noting that those that were around were occasionally looking toward us. No doubt they wanted to witness another display like I did last time.

I turned back to see Alon stretching his wrist while holding his sword. I… pffft PHRASING. I snickered and Alon looked up at me.

He began toward me in an offensive stance and before he got too close I used my casting hand and made a fist, sending a Stonefist at him, or attempted to anyway. It barely skirted his shield and before I could try to cast again, he was right in front of me, his shield at my abdomen pushing me backwards. I barely managed to brace myself, my boots digging into the dirt.

"Only ever leave yourself wide open to me in bed." His words had me fumbling but the pommel of his sword knocked into my side, where I had indeed left myself open for attack.

Nonetheless, I stumbled back away from Alon who didn't stop and pursued after me. Our swords met and he tried to shield bash again, but I had my own barrier up, only this time I used it to push against him. I grit my teeth as I saw him smirk.

"You do like to fight for dominance, luckily we both know who was on top."

That cheeky...

I felt the heat rising, but I felt the magic build up in me. Could I direct it elsewhere considering both of my hands were busy.

I looked down between us as Alon pushed me back, my feet digging again into the dirt but now I was moving. I lifted one foot and while I felt my balance waver, I immediately stomped my foot, aiming for his, but instead I hit the dirt and a shockwave went out, like a tremor. Alon was knocked back and away from me but I remained standing

Alon looked at me confused and then glanced down at my foot. His mouth opened and closed like a fish. I was sure I mirrored his actions because this meant… this meant I could expel my magic with my feet? Well well well… I grinned widely.

"Merc-" I didn't let him get a word in as I ran for him, but this time I busied his sword with a powerful swing that he caught, his metal shield meeting my fade one and then I kicked up my foot and concentrated on a stonefist. I didn't see where it went but I heard it collide with something.

Alon and I stepped back from each other and looked behind him. The stonefist turned one of the railing posts into a bundle of splinters. "Whoops…"

"Perhaps you should concentrate on learning to control your magic through your hands before you try something advanced." A haughty French- no Orlesian accented voice called out.

My head snapped as I looked at a dark skinned, well refined looking woman, who held her head high. Her hair in an elegant weave of braids and the typical beige, white and blue robes that Alise and I wore were on her, yet somehow they looked far more pristine than I could ever make them. On her back, strapped in were two staffs. One was metal, slick, and smooth with a crystal of sorts at each tip. The other was a gnarled dark wood.

"Yvette! You're not due until after First Day." Alon said as he sheathed his sword and swung the shield to clasp at his back. Unlike the games, the weapons just didn't float slightly off you. There were sheaths, straps, holders. Even Alise's staff and shortswords had a clasp to stick to her.

I walked with Alon as I greeted the woman I knew only by name and indirect conversations.

"Emeric told me I was to come as soon as possible and Alise to go to the North Camp so that I may give some instructions to our… not so young mage. I was under the impression you would be a youth, not a full grown woman." Yvette stepped into the ring, her gray eyes bore into mine and then her hands pulled mine out, and yanked the sword from me and tossed it to Alon who caught it flawlessly. I probably would have ducked if that were thrown to me. "How barbaric, having a mage learn to fight with a corporeal sword when you can just as easily learn like so."

The next moment I felt a strong pull of the fade by Yvette and then her hand seemed to erupt with a green cloudy blade that she quickly gripped and flourished it out.

"You're a knight enchanter?!" I gaped at her as she swung the blade out easily. I wished I could do that but no way was I even skilled enough to throw even a fireball. Inferno magic was hard but apparently every other mage learned fire magic easily. Meanwhile, lightning was my base, so I imagine Storm Magic would be easier.

"Quite an accomplished one as well. I would travel to Rivain and Antiva on chantry business-"

"-Before the rebellion." I interrupted and then smiled sheepishly as she crossed her arms, the fade blade actually disappearing in a puff of fade smoke. There wasn't any noise to accompany that, sadly. She smiled and stepped further into the ring. She was shorter than me, but I found myself overwhelmed by her presence. This was very different than how Alise performed and taught magic.

"If you'll allow me, I'd like to get started immediately." Yvette looked to Alon, who looked at me.

"As you wish. Ladies." He ducked his head and bowed and caught my eye, giving me a wink before walking out of the ring.

"Now. From the reports Alise has shared with me, you do not know how to even cast a simple fireball. That will be remedied now." Yvette's hand reached back and pulled her staffs off her back and tossed me the gnarled wooden one while she used her metal one to slam into the dirt and a large rune appeared on the ground. It was blue and green as it carved into the ground and then a large bubble of a barrier appeared around the ring.

"What…"

"It's so we do not damage anything, keep up." I looked to her just in time to see her leave the staff standing in the very center and her hands and manicured nails met and a fireball formed between them. I had less than a second to react as she lobbed it at me, one after another and noted as they dissipated into the barrier. "Try to catch one and replicate it. I hear you're quite good at that."

 _Fuck me_ , this is worse than the first time training with Alon!


	28. Who Is On Top Now?

I sunk into the heated water with a prolonged sigh. Yvette opposite of me, Bel and Patrice off in their own corner at the insistence of Yvette. Something about mages needing a moment to talk. I honestly didn't pay attention because these past _four_ days of training with Yvette have been hell. Fucking hell.

The fact the woman never let me rest from the moment I woke to the moment I went to bed is a testament to not only her patience but my sanity. Not that she ever let me rest for more than a few hours. And I had more of this torture in store! She wouldn't be leaving to one of the other camps until a week after First Day and until then I will be having a crash course in magic with her.

Kill me.

No, honestly, kill me.

The first day she determined my inferno magic was abysmal because I had no desire to actually destroy anything. This is true. At least until she began to make me want to destroy her, but even then I defaulted to Storm and Primal. At which point she gave me another assessment when she saw me relying on those two.

 _"It's interesting you rely on those instinctually. Storm is unpredictable, wild. Certainly Inferno is but there is an obvious trajectory but Storm, you cannot tell where. But then Primal relies on the very ground beneath us. It is the only magic that could halt Storm by its consistency."_

I haven't the faintest idea what she was saying but at least that was done. Between her hurling fireballs at me, making me run away from her winter's grasp, to falling over due to the fist-of-the-maker only to smack right into an ice wall, I had enough. Two days of that and then she had us in the woods, protective barriers in place again and this time she had me hurl what I could at her using my trust new gnarled wooden staff.

The staff didn't help much, if anything it impeded me. Yvette said I had to channel my magic using it but I really couldn't. It was easier to use my hands, to which she set my robes on fire until I used the staff. If anything the only thing the staff did for me was correct my aim. I suppose channeling through something was a lot easier than trying to use your hands to direct magical energy. The staff could be used as a crosshairs of sort. Wherever the tip of it pointed is the direction the magic went. Whereas with my hands it was a bit difficult because I was pulling the fade to my entire hand, which was great for powerful area of effects but terrible for single hit projectiles.

"Alise's original assessment of you was wrong." Yvette said, as she stretched her legs out in the stream water. The air was frigid cold but the water was so warm steam was rising off it.

"What do you mean?" I yawned, covering my mouth while pulling hair away.

"Your mana, you have a much deeper pool of it than she stated. I blame her only being an apprentice in the circle but you're just very good at not touching it until you absolutely need to." She was looking up at the trees in thought and then shook her head. "Most mages subconsciously use their magic for conveniences but you. You do not even touch it when you very obviously can. Only highly self-disciplined mages can do that. But even they use it to sense when there are others around them. It's almost as though-"

"I never grew up with magic?" I offered to her, digging my toes in the sandy dirt below me.

"Yes, it just seems preposterous to think. Tell me, where do you hail from? Your accent sounds Marcher." She leisurely cleaned herself while I just sat in the water, not even caring. I just like the feel of having the water wash off the grime.

"You wouldn't believe me anyway. Pretty sure Emeric thinks I'm lying whenever I say it." I huffed then sighed. "No… he _definitely_ thinks I'm lying."

"He is a rather closed minded fellow." She laughed but looked at me expectantly. Sighing, I told her what I told Alise and rather than looking confused or suspicious, she nodded. "Yes. Alise did tell me that. She said she wouldn't dare write it down. That kind of possibility seems highly unlikely. But we do have the fade and spirits. And it seems only like divine intervention that a woman named Mercy would be delivered to us right when we needed you."

I groaned.

"Well. I don't like to prune, I shall take my leave. You have the rest of the evening to yourself, and tomorrow as well." She said knowingly.

"Thank the maker!" I exclaimed as I sunk further into the water until I was submerged. I held myself in place as the water flowed over my naked body. It was relaxing and cut out all the noise of the forest, not that there was much noise anyway.

When I surfaced a minute later there was a shadow blocking the only light produced by the setting sun and rising moons. I looked up only to meet a _very_ naked and very aroused Alon. I never got to see this much of him during our first and only tryst but now with a well-lit eyeful… the carpets matched the drapes.

"Like what you see?" I smirked at him, raising one leg out of the water and stretching it above me. He grabbed my foot and held it up forcing me to prop myself up and out of the water, exposing my naked chest to him. Alon's calloused and warm fingers rubbed at the arch of my foot, eliciting a gratifying moan from me. I watched as he slowly lowered himself into the water inching toward me.

"Very." He responded huskily.

I pulled myself back and away from him. He looked confused until I crooked a finger at him. A wicked gleam in his eyes as he pushed himself forward and I lunged back until my back hit a boulder, pressing against it and Alon was on me, lips hungry and hot and teeth sinking into me, leaving bruises and bite marks where only he knew they'd be.

"What about-"

"They left already." He growled into my neck as I wrapped my legs around his waist.

"Good I can be as loud as I want." His chest rumbled with laughter as his fingers gripped my thighs to raise me, and I flitted one hand between us to align and in one fluid motion his hardened length was sheathed inside of me, even if I wasn't completely ready. I hissed in delicious pain and he halted.

"Did I-?" I shook my head and clenched him closer to me as I flexed my muscles around him, causing him to groan, his fingers gripping my hips as he jut upward. "How did you-"

"Magic." I teased into his ear, adjusting myself so I could control every movement. They don't have Kegel exercises on Thedas, I grinned to myself as I pulled my hips up and then lowered down painstakingly slow and clenching tighter the lower I went.

There was a choked groan as Alon nuzzled my breasts, biting them roughly. There'd be bruises there again. I was beginning to suspect Alon was a breasts man, if how he went straight for them both times was any indication.

Snaking my hand into his locks I yanked him away and he looked up at me confused. "Now who's on top?" I grinned as I rocked my hips into him.

"You are, temptress." He answered with a placating grin.

"That's right. Now get back to work on." I pushed his face back into my bosom and he rolled my nipples between his teeth.

Every rock of my hips was met by his jutting upward and his grip on my shoulders trying to push me flush against him but I made sure my motions were slow, torturous even for me.

It continued like this until we were both panting. I could tell he was straining to hold himself back, if the clenching of his jaw was any indication.

I pushed myself as flush against him as I could and rubbed, rocking against him, clenching around him in bursts. "Oh, Mercy…please!" came the strangled groan and he began jutting up impatiently.

"Fuck me…" I rasped against him and he didn't wait, acting immediately and lifted me up.

"Gladly, my temptress." Alon growled into my ear, giving the lobe a playful nip. He was on his knees and my legs wrapped tighter around him. My back met the boulder, the cooling water around us splashing as his hips slammed against me until he was coming inside of me. Once spent he reached between our slick bodies and brought me to my own cresting orgasm.

"Ugh… I'm pruning…." I groaned as I finally actually used soap to clean myself, my fingers deep inside myself as I tried to remove Alon's- well yes _that_.

"You're the one who set the pace." Alon chuckled from the boulder he lay against, drying after I reset the warming runes. I sent a playful glare his way.

"You could help me you know." I pursed my lips as I rushed to clean.

"I doubt I'd help if I had to rub _soap all over your body…your breasts, inside your cunt._ We'd most likely end up… **_fucking_** again." Alon emphasized each word on purpose. "Hmm, your chest is a lovely shade, matches my hair quite well." He chuckled as I looked frantically down to see I was blushing.

"Sh-shut it." I mumbled as I splashed water up to rinse off. "it's your fault I have to drink that horrendous tea again."

I heard another chuckle and then a splash. "No, you don't have to-" I opened my mouth, horrified. "I already drank my tea to prevent that." He stepped up right next to me, kissing my shoulder before moving off to dress.

Using a dry heat rune, I dried off. Or rather became less damp and followed him. "What do you mean you drank your tea?" Does that mean contraceptive here _isn't_ only a female's responsibility? Well… now that is progressive.

"Although if you want to drink your tea, you can as well. Just to be sure." His trousers were buttoned already and I was fumbling with mine. He clucked as he did them up for me, again.

"No thanks."

Dressed and hair hanging loose to finish drying, I headed off first, entering the encampment only to run into Frail who gave me a wide grin and then slid next to me as I walked. I was just heading to get dinner from Jany, no doubt I missed my chance to eat anything. Frail matched my steps but was silent until I managed to snag some bread and a carrot from the elf. I went to bite into the bread when Frail spoke.

"Have fun rutting with Alon?" Frail asked lowly, making me choke. He snorted and then dragged me off to the side to smack my back as I coughed up the bits of bread.

"How?"

"Well…" Frail leaned back against the log fencing and examined his fingernails. At my glare he snickered. "He asked me to prepare him a very specific draught and then disappeared after downing it in one go. In the direction of the stream…"

"So?"

"Where everyone else had already returned from except for _you_." His smirk was wide. "And you're blushing terribly. It's quite cute."

"Ugh Frail…" I covered my face as he laughed.

"I won't tell. At least one of us is lucky." He sighed and I patted his shoulder solemnly, knowing Brig won't budge on that. "Goodnight, enjoy the soreness."

Finishing my bread and carrot I walked toward the cabin. The past four days sleeping in there has been pretty alright, except for Emeric's occasional snore and sounds. He wakes often during the night and that wakes me up, but not once did he approach me in an untoward manner which was a relief.

I pushed the door open to see Emeric sitting at the table, drinking ale. He didn't greet me so I walked past him to my cot. "Good night-"

"Mercy. What is this?" I looked back at him and he gestured to the table.

My stomach dropped as I saw the bottle I thought I had tucked away.

* * *

 **5 Coloured Walker** , Thanks for pointing that out. I try to catch my mistakes here and there.

 **Holly Holiday,** I want to say thank you. Your comment really made my day. Saying you would play as Mercy as if she were a game character was the highest praise and compliment I have ever received about one of my OCs. I worried she wouldn't have been relatable considering she is slightly older than most OCs in these types of stories and that she is a lot more well adjusted, or more like she doesn't complain. And honestly i felt touched when I read that you are invested in her romance. I originally put up the poll because I was very undecided about whom, if she would, romance but I knew I didn't want to pursue a Cullen or Solas romance because there are plot related reasons that will make that impossible. On top of there being already many stories with an OC that pursue a romance with those two. But thank you. Again.

Also sadly, this little romance Mercy has with Alon is great, for _now._


	29. Crime and Punishment

**TRIGGERING CONTENT ALERT**! IF YOU ARE OF FAINT OF HEART. WHEN IT SAYS " **ONE** " SKIP TO THE " **TEN** ". There is a torture scene and while not gratuitously graphic in depiction and detail it can still be triggering for some. If you think the scene is too much for the Fiction M rating please let me know and I will remove the scene.

* * *

"Before you attempt to sell me your lie. Sit. Have a drink and collect your wits." Emeric pointed at the chair opposite of him.

"I'm not going to lie." He glanced at me sideways a deathly glare in them and the fact his hand clenched made me slip into the chair. I flinched back jolting out of my seat when he stood up abruptly. He said nothing as he slapped a cup in front of me and poured me ale, then settled down to stare at me intently, his own goblet in front of him.

"Drink." He ordered, his eyes a flame with fury.

Tentatively I drank a small sip, and then at his continued glare, took a hefty gulp.

"Drink." Came his continued order. Looking at him, I raised the cup up to drink and he looked pleased. Sputtering out the ale I looked at it, trying to get it out of my mouth.

"What did you do to it?!" I exclaimed. Images of the effects of date rape drug equivalents on Thedas, poisons, or paralyzing agents.

"What had to be done." He rose and snatched my wrist.

"No. No you said you don't force yourself on women!" I cried. Stupid of me to have ever believed him.

"I do not intend to _bed_ you." Emeric gave a disgusted snort and yanked me towards the door, pushing me out into the cold while yanking my jacket off me. I was physically weaker than him so he easily got it off. Despite his words, I was terrified. But that didn't make me any less angry, it fueled it. I may not be able to punch him and knock him out, but I could _punch_ him with the fade.

"Fuck off, asshole." I growled raising my hand to aim a stonefist. Only it didn't form. Bewildered I pulled from the fade again and nothing. Nothing, I couldn't even feel the fade anymore, couldn't draw the now familiar energy. "What…"

"Magebane." Emeric's simple response came. Why does _he_ have magebane?! "It has occurred to me that a more traditional method of disciplinary action is required." Emeric stepped toward me, I stepped back and into someone. Patrice grabbed my arms as Bryant slapped shackles onto my hands.

"You don't have to-mnmfh" I should have screamed before then as the leather belt was shoved into my mouth and tied behind me. Bryant dragged me, kicking and crying toward the main bonfire where a pole of sorts which was normally used to hang drying cooking meat always stood. But as we got closer, I realized what would be happening.

Shackles hooked, I barely was able to remain on my tip toes to relieve the strain on my arms. Tears already tracked their way down my cheeks as I looked around, but my field of vision was limited to directly in the fire, preventing me from seeing the darkening encampment.

"Alon. Good. You shall enact her most deserved punishment."

When had Alon gotten here? Would he stop this? I tried to turn to look behind me and barely managed to catch a blurry image of him. My tears preventing me from making anything out clearly now.

"Isn't this a bit much just for simple thievery?" His gave an even reply. Why wasn't he outraged?!

"If only it was just that."

What else was would he accuse me of? Although the thievery is true.

"Sedition and thievery. Both of which are serious offenses against Andraste herself." There was a pause as I strained to listen but there was whispered and mumbled words. "Not to mention seduction of my own lieutenant with the intent of swaying him to her own causes, whatever they may be.

"Emeric. I would never betray you." Alon's voice came clear, loud and very much proud of that fact.

"Of that I have no doubt of that, my friend. But that didn't stop her from attempting."

That's not true! No. No. No. _No_! I didn't want to overthrow anyone. I just wanted to save people, help. A fresh wave of tears broke over me.

"See how she cries. Her guilt is evident."

No! You bastard. I gripped the shackle chains, the metal biting into my skin. There was a moment of silence, or perhaps I couldn't hear anything over my sobbing. My breathing was heavy and labored. I had only ever had a panic attack once in my life and this felt like that, but it was very real and not all in my head.

I heard footsteps behind me. Tensing, I flinched when gentle and familiar hands pulled my hair together and braiding it until it wasn't hanging down my back. What was this? Why?

"Be still, it will be over with soon. After…I will attend to you." Alon's soothing voice tried to reassure me.

What other choice did I have? I nodded and tried to calm myself. Then I felt his hands at my tunic and a loud ripping sound as he tore it down my back. His fingers traced down my spine where he undid my breast band and then he was gone. I heard the crunch of dirt and gravel fade away. A cold burst of wind hit my back and I shuddered, despite the fire pit being less than a foot from me.

"Is this really necessary? Surely the magebane is punishment enough." Yvette, oh I take back every curse I ever thought towards you.

"She would not be used to having magic constantly. Or have you not heard what she claims to be? I may have humored some of you in believing she was sent from the Maker, but she is naught but a woman and a very devious liar and opportunist." Emeric paused as though speaking to a crowd. How many were present?

"She has told me what she believes. But I do not sense a demon in her. At worst, she is misguided. At best she is simply delusional." Yvette continued.

There was a snort. "Leave it to an Orlesian to believe being lyrium addled is better." That was Bryant.

"Be still, dog." Yvette's quick reply seethed anger.

" _Enough_."

Silence flowed around me. I could feel them watching me, feel the silent judgment.

"What exactly has she been saying?" There were mumbles of agreement.

Oh… oh Jany. I shouldn't have lied to you. I should have just told you the truth, told you why I wanted to send that letter.

"She may have spoken of this to some, and others she may have spun another tale meant to win your favor. To exploit the thought many of you had of her ever so timely arrival." What followed was a bastardized retelling of what I knew to be true, what I knew was going to happen and there was Emeric making it into a lie. The Breach, the hole in the sky that would rain down demons and cause destruction everywhere, the death of the divine that will be the catalyst to the mages and Templars continued fighting and the red lyrium monsters.

I briefly wanted to curse Alise for telling him everything but at the same time I didn't blame her. She at least believed me and at least she wasn't here to be punished either for facilitating my supposed lies.

"What if she is telling the truth?" Frail? No. No don't get in trouble for me. I tried to turn around again, knowing I couldn't. "What if she is a seer? Should we sit back and let the Divine just die?"

A small murmur began.

"She could be an agent to cause that. She could be playing us into doing it for her only to stick the blame on us." I never liked Zazz, now even less so.

"She could barely pass this lie off as is. I doubt she is a double agent of whatever crazed theory you have." Alon stood up for me.

"Says the one who came back with his prick wet with her not moments ago." Bryant retorted. "How can we be sure she didn't seduce you to put that thought there?"

" _Enough_!" Emeric's shout brought the murmuring to a halt. "Alon is absolved of any accusations."

"Bu-"

" _No_. The fact of the matter is, she still took the oath. This will be punishment to drive those thoughts away, to cleanse her and she will start anew. If she or anyone else for that matter, speaks of things past, I will not hesitate to steady my blade so they may return to the Maker's side for judgement." Footsteps approached and a rough hand undid the leather belt. "Do you understand what this means?" Emeric yanked my head back so that I stared right into him.

I took mouthfuls of air, panting and then glared.

I _hated_ him.

I wanted him to die.

I smiled.

He _will_ die by the Herald's hand. I'll make sure of it.

"I understand." I rasped shakily and with a note of finality, he set the leather belt back in my mouth. It was loose but I didn't let on as he stepped away.

"Now on to her retribution, to cleanse her. As those who have been victim to her lies, what is your suggestion?" Emeric addressed everyone present.

"Three lashes." Frail called out first, as though to save me from the impending punishment. "For all crimes combined."

"That is too lenient! Three for each crime!" Patrice growled out.

A cacophony of shouted numbers for each individual crime came out until…

"Twenty Lashes!" Jany's angry voice called out. A deep regret filled me. I never meant to hurt him, never meant for all this to come back. I should have stayed silent. A hush filled the encampment. There was murmuring.

"Twenty is much too harsh. Make it ten." Delphine's Antivan accent joined but he gave an air of disinterest.

"Jany?"

"That… is acceptable."

"Mercy, know that for your crimes against Andraste and the very blades you have fought alongside with, worked with, and engaged in merriment you have been sentenced to ten lashes to be delivered in consecutive order. Once completed you will be absolved, cleansed and start anew and you may join your brothers and sisters."

There was a long silence and then I heard the creak of leather behind me. I tensed, terrified of the oncoming pain.

"Wait." What does Bryant have to add now- "Have Alon do it."

NO! _No!_

My heart raced and I tried to look behind me. My breathing was ragged and I tried to shy away but it would be useless.

"-very well."

My chest heaved with each accelerated breath and I shook. Not with cold but with terror. The worse pain I had ever felt thus far was the arrow in my abdomen and before that, I had only ever suffered paper cuts and the occasional bruise from overzealous lovers.

A terrible anticipation set in, my entire body tense my back muscles clenching as I tried to pull myself up by the shackles.

" **One**."

The sharpened leather snapped against my back as quick as lighting. There was a blade attached to it, small but sharp enough to cause my skin to split open. I was hyper aware of the blood that slowly trickled down. My cry was strangled by the leather in my mouth, my teeth clenching down on it. The fire was a blurry light source as once again I sobbed.

The next lash came all too soon. The slit in my back crossing with the other and I could feel the cross point digging deeper into my flesh. It overrode the prior pain, mixing the two into one long one.

"At my count, do not be hasty. We wish for her to feel each one, for the regret to sink in."

"Y-yes ser."

"Three."

The surface of my back was heated and sensitive, fighting against the cold and blood rising in response to the fresh wounds. Another cross section no doubt and my scream was muffled. The shackles dug against my wrists as I tried to get them to release me. My neck straining to even get the belt out of mouth.

I wanted to cover my back, to cower, to run. I couldn't, and that was the worst of it. I couldn't even defend myself.

"Four."

I tried to bend myself, to contort myself away from the blade and leather. It was no use.

"Five."

The belt fell from my mouth and my scream rung out into the air, my throat raw and hoarse. I broke into open mouth sobs. Spit, tears and mucus running down my chin.

"The b-belt…" Jany's shaking voice run out, on the verge of tears.

"Leave it. Six."

I closed my eyes. Four more, ignore it. Just ignore it. I bit my lip, blood exploding into my mouth as the blade dug deeper this time.

"Seven."

"No more… please." Alon pleaded.

"Seven."

"She's in agony enough."

" _Seven._ "

A long silence and I heard the whip crack, the blade singing in the air and then it sliced into me. There was more blood and saliva in my mouth than I thought because I choked, gasping for breath.

"Emeric!"

"Hold."

Eventually I could breath, the brief reprieve was short lived as my coughing had aggravated every lash on my back. Everything felt wider, the cuts deeper and the pain renewed. The blood was warm as it seeped into my trousers.

"Eight."

"Please don't make me-"

"Would you prefer I do it for you?"

Silence again, I wasn't paying attention. I was anticipating when it would be over. The number three ringing loudly in my head.

"Eigh– "

The lash came fast and unexpected. I lost track of time.

"Nine."

I don't know if I was screaming anymore or not. I only listened for the number.

" **Ten** "

I don't think the pain registered that time. I just remember hearing a faint thud. a gasping breath and shuddering sob that was muffled. It wasn't me.

I gasped into the night air, my shoulders slack. Air rattled inside my lungs and I looked up at the shackles. My wrists were bleeding, that much I could tell. The fire wasn't so bright anymore or maybe everything was becoming dark. My braid fell to my back, brushing against each cut and gash.

I didn't flinch when I heard footsteps, not because I managed not to but because I had no energy to move anymore.

I heard and felt someone fumbling with the metal shackles, felt the release of them and I descended down until hand and arms that were gentle and hesitant pulled me close to their body. A familiar body, one I knew. The faint smell of river water filled me as I buried my nose into ginger hair and his hands fluttered at my side, unsure where to hold me, until they settled on my shoulder and hip.

"Attend to her at the lodge, then return in three days."

"Under… understood." A cheek was pressed to my forehead as I drifted off.

* * *

 **GreaterGoodIreland** , yes a lot has indeed happened.


	30. Enchanter Come to Me

"The Magebane should wear off in one day or two." It was dark, no… there was light I just wasn't facing it.

"Thank you, Yvette." Warmth covered the heated flesh of my back. It was warm one moment and then cool the next. I shifted and felt bandages wrapped around me. "Shh. Shh. I've got you." I didn't realize I had moaned.

"Alon?" I croaked, opening my eyes blearily. It was almost dawn.

"Hush. I'll put you to bed soon, we're almost there." I felt the world shift and realized I was seated in front of Alon on a horse, facing him, my arms around him loosely.

"Where are we?"

"We're almost at the lodge." Yvette answered and I looked to see her walking beside us, glowing balls of light trailing after her providing light around her and us. She also held a staff out in front of her, ready to attack if need be.

"What happened?" I tried to move but Alon steadied me.

"You fell unconscious. You were in quite a lot of pain." Yvette didn't look up but kept glancing around us.

"I can't imagine why." I deadpanned as I shifted closer to Alon, hissing as the bandages rubbed against my skin. I'm just not going to think about it. Not at all. Ignore the problem and it will go away.

Alon's arms tensed around me but neither he nor Yvette said anything in retort to me.

It was a few minutes more and then the angle changed slightly. We were ascending up a hill. I looked out into the forest over Alon's shoulder. The trees, bare of any leaves, were covered in ice allowing the sunlight to glint between them. If I didn't feel the dull pain from my back I would say it was a beautiful morning.

"Finally." Yvette said and apparently we crested over a hill of sorts. I watched as some of the balls of light disappeared and others didn't, instead they curled around Yvette neatly flowing after her.

"What are those?"

"What?" Alon's shoulders tensed as he looked around.

"No, around Yvette."

"He can't see them dear. Only mages can." Alon let out a relieved sigh but was no less tense. "They are wisps. Extraordinarily powerful mages will attract them and they will be summoned if you cast powerful spells in frequent bursts. They eventually disappear the less magic you perform." She turned to me as the horse stopped.

"Huh. So they are spirits?"

"In a sense, yes. Very weak spirits that can do nothing but chase the feel of magic. I imagine you may attract them as you use your magic." Yvette clipped her staff to her back and used magic to lift me off the horse and set me down on the ground. I was briefly blue and green as her magic worked and couldn't move anything until my feet were set on the ground.

"Woah… that was… amazing." I looked to her as I straightened but hissed as the muscles on my back rippled, disturbing whatever healing was going on.

"Careful." Alon said as he dismounted and led the horse off. I turned slowly and saw the lodge.

We were on the top of a cliff, the lodge sitting mere feet away from the edge. It soared up two stories, or was it two and a half? I could see the broken window to the attic part as well. It looked massive compared to the small cabin in the encampment.

"Why don't the Blades stay here?"

"We do at times." Yvette answered. "Though I haven't had the pleasure. I hear it's used when there are particularly brutal storms to ravage the coast."

There was a stable that set next to the lodge that Alon walked toward with the horse. The place was empty, the gate barely managing to stay on. The wood looked old, worn down. I spied chimneys coming off the lodge on either sides. There was a small garden as well, or what looked like one anyway but there was only two very large bushes there.

"What are those?"

"Ahh… it has been quite some time since anyone tended to the garden here I imagine. Those would be elfroot bushes." Yvette turned to me. "Now, inside before you catch cold." She began leading me toward the lodge, where we climbed up the rickety steps that creaked under the weight. I was almost terrified of them caving in but they held.

"How come bandits haven't tried taking this?"

"Oh they have tried." Alon was stepping up behind us as we crossed the threshold. Two large bags slung over his shoulder. "We make a point to send a scouting part this way every few weeks to ensure its safety. It used to be an old hunter's lodge that was used less and less as restrictions by Queen Anora drove them out. Even though King Alistair has repealed most of those in the last ten years, people seemed to have forgotten about this lodge. It's just as well as we tend to drive out any unwanted visitors here."

"I'll set the wards." Yvette ducked back out, leaving me gripping the railing of the stairs that led up into the lodge.

There was a large main area and from what I could tell a bar. A stone hearth stood and on one side a stack of apparently dry logs sat next to it. Everything was either wooden or set in stone in a few places. It was dark and dreary, the only light coming from the few windows.

"Upstairs." Alon stepped up behind me, his hand hovering over my hip to lead me up the stairs. It was slow going due to my condition but eventually I ignored the pain and we went all the way down the hallway to the last room. Inside was a large bedroom with a sitting area and a hearth as well, one that connected with the one downstairs. It was the same dark worn wood as downstairs and there was a wet smell in the air. "Lay in bed, you need to rest more. I'll get the fire started."

"Okay." I wasn't going to fight him, not with the fact I could barely move. I didn't lay in the bed yet. The bedding was a bit hard along the edges.

I watched Alon. He moved around with purpose, putting the bags down first and then disappearing back downstairs and returning with logs that he immediately put in the hearth and lit them up with a flint and steel. The fire was slow but I could feel the warmth rising and the light chased away the shadows of the room. I looked into the fire.

 _Blood, sweat and tears dribbled down my chin, a gasping breath as I cried out._

I turned away from the hearth sharply as I remembered. My back stinging as I closed my eyes.

"Mercy?"

Alon peered down at me, eyes soft and his hand touched my cheek.

"Sorry… " I reached out for him and he kneeled in front of me like he was about to placate a child.

"Sleep, I will prepare things here while you rest. I'll wake you for midday meal." He kissed my palms and I dragged him up for a kiss. Sweet and chaste but he wouldn't let it delve deeper instead pointing to the bed.

Once my boots were removed and my trousers, leaving me in this too large tunic with my smalls, I lay on my stomach as he covered me with a blanket. I didn't think I could sleep as I stared out into the sole window of the room that happened to be a balcony.

Sitting up groggily, I don't know what woke me. I looked at the unfamiliar surroundings and felt my heart beat pick up until I remembered as my back gave a dull pulse of pain with each movement. Groaning, I buried my head into my arms.

The bed dipped next to me. "Mercy. Are you awake?"

"I don't want to be." I grunted, only to hear him chuckle.

"Come now, rise. You must eat."

It took a bit of maneuvering but I sat up and Alon handed me a bowl that smelled like elfroot and beef. I didn't ask, I just ate and drank the stew down. It had been awhile since I ate anything this hearty or this much meat as it was. I looked down at the bits of beef, from what I don't know. I've never seen a cow here. Was it even beef? All I knew was that it was red meat and tasted like beef. I had a sudden craving for a cheeseburger.

"Is it the pain? I'm afraid I don't have much to give to aid with that." Alon leaned forward.

"What?" I croaked and then felt the tears drip off my chin. "Oh…I…" His hand reached up and wiped them away. "I'm never going home… it just… it just hit me."

"You've already taken the oath. We are your home now, Mercy." That wasn't what I meant but I bit my tongue.

"I'm your… _we_ are your family." A gentle kiss to my forehead felt like he was patronizing me but I didn't have the energy to snap at him. Instead I went back to sleep.

* * *

"Mercy."

"Huh?" I groaned.

"Mercy."

"Ugh." I turned away from the sound of chuckling.

"You must wake up."

"Wha, five more minutes." I curled up but grunted as the scabs on my back stretched. "I'm up." I rasped.

"I have drawn a bath for us, after which I will reapply the poultices a…" I heard him say behind me but I tuned him out as I stared at the balcony, noting the low lighting. Was it dusk already? It was raining too. The sound of gentle fat raindrops plonking against the wood and the crackling of fire was rather relaxing.

I felt myself drift off to sleep.

"Mercy." He used his stern lieutenant voice this time and I had to smile. "Wake up."

"Nggh…you said to rest. I'm _resting._ " I whined with a high pitched tone of voice. The sound of his snort made my smile larger. Good. "Alright, alright, I'm up."

Alon helped me undress and then climb into the rather large wooden tub. Steam rising up as I settled in slowly. There was a moment where I was a bit scared my back would hurt worse but it was just a dull sting. Either there was something in the poultice or my body's natural pain killers were on over drive.

"Are you getting in too?" I looked back at Alon as he was unlacing his tunic. I watched and hummed my appreciation the moment I saw skin.

"Enjoying yourself?" he didn't stop as he shucked off the vest, but he did slow down his movements.

Was he _teasing_ me?

Why… I do believe he was.

I noticed him watching me as he took his tunic off slowly and then his skilled fingers worked at his belt and then laces.

Fact of the matter was that Alon was built, muscled but not bulky. He didn't fight with heavy armor, instead opting to use medium leathers with metal plating along his shins and in his vambraces. But he still did lift a sword and shield. I took in his body, could see every curve and appreciate the time it has taken for him to get that defined. Battle worn and hardened with scars here and there, bruises that looked like they'd never fade. Even his fingers were calloused and coarse from the familiarity of swinging a sword. It was the type of muscled physique I would never be able to appreciate back on Earth.

My eyes traced his chest, each dip until I briefly remembered he should have two very large scars where he had been stabbed. Were they on his back? No those daggers went right through him, I remember that much. "Why don't you have scars?"

"I assure you, I have scars as you can see." He removed his trousers and smalls in one go. I pursed my lips as he climbed into the tub, sitting opposite me and rearranging my legs to be over his. I floated closer to him, enjoying the feel of his skin against mine, among other things that were pressed to me.

"No…" I traced my hand where I knew the scars should be. "There should be two very large ones here when…we were ambushed at the stream that time."

"Ah, yes I wonder that too."

"Could it be on your back only?" I reached back to check but he halted my hands and brought them to rest at his neck and pulled me closer, water sloshing around us as our chests were pressed together.

"I do not know. But I do know there _should_ be scars. Magic can only do so much, yet… you healed me completely. That has made me curious considering your healing magic is the only developed school of magic you know naturally." He said softly.

I leaned back and mock glared. "Well…I'm quite extraordinary then aren't I? Healing, probably the most difficult school of magic is the one thing that comes naturally. Whereas I can barely perform a simple fireball." I pretended to be hurt, but I knew what he meant. It was weird that I could heal completely considering I see so many people with scars of a sort which meant magic _didn't_ solve everything. Why would they have scars if healing magic could make it all disappear? I felt the rumble in his chest and he pulled me closer by my hips.

"There are many things about you that are…" He skirted his lips over mine, tasting them with a flick of his tongue and I moaned. "Extraordinary." It felt amazing, kissing him like this. He was gentle, soft and all together slow in tasting me. I pushed to deepen it but he pulled away, resting his forehead against mine.

"I do not want to hurt you, your wounds are still fresh." He rubbed his hands down my arms, his thumbs managing to rub down the sides of my breasts. I shivered and he gazed at me, his eyes dark as he did it again.

"Sure seems like you're eager to anyway." I shifted my hips to rub against his growing arousal, to which he hissed, his eyes closed.

"I am eager, very… _very_ eager, but we shan't. Not until you are more healed." He murmured and then kissed my pouting lips.

The bath was slow, almost sensual with how deliberate his touches were. I knew what he was doing, getting me riled up so that I pounced on him again. But I didn't like to be on top _always_ , as it appeared he preferred it when I took charge in the bed. I suppose it says something about Andrastians who worship a female savior and prophet.

"Yvette left you two gifts to use. Not today, as I'm unsure how it will react with your back." He mumbled, his hands rubbing soap into my legs, skirting closer and closer to my center.

"O-oh?" I stuttered when he got too close, teasing around the apex of my thighs. I wiggled against him and he growled but didn't press further. "What did she leave?" I managed to say evenly.

"A bottle of soap, for your hair she called it and a book on…" His voice trailed off.

"What?"

"Reproductive Healing Magics." His voice was strained with embarrassment. I snickered and pulled him into a kiss.

"I'll have to practice those so we don't have to rely on teas." I whispered into his ears. "It'd be quite handy to be able to not have to take measures beforehand." I rolled my hips.

"Careful." He shifted back to keep distance between us, but I looked up at him playfully until I noted we were both clean, if incredibly aroused. "The water is cooling, I have to attend to your back." He gave a kiss to my forehead but I nodded.

"Be gentle." I looked back at Alon as I was stretched out over the rim of the tub and he sat on a stool leaning over me.

"Am I not always?" He snickered but he became serious as he used the cloth to rub at my back with soap

I gasped as it felt like he was scraping away skin, which he was in some cases. It was easier after the bath as it softened everything so it came off smoother but that didn't mean it was any less painful.

"I was worried it would continue to bleed but the poultices have halted that, thank the maker." He sighed as he used more water to help it along despite my entire back being tense, my hands clenched on the tub rim.

"Soon as I can use magic again, all of it is going to be gone." I mumbled, stretching my hand out and bemoaning the fact I had drank the magebane myself. I tried to pull at the fade but it was barely a sense. It was there but I could do nothing with it.

"I'm afraid it will scar." Alon sighed.

"Not if I can help it." I nodded, tight lipped.

"It is unusual to heal a wound without a scar, as you have done for me. But even lesser wounds will scar the longer it takes to heal it." He explained as he rinsed my back off. It felt raw, fresh and like new skin. I didn't even want to see what it looked like.

"Oh. Why didn't Yvette heal me then? I know she's not the best of healers but she is still powerful." I twiddled my thumbs in the water as Alon rose to grab me a towel.

"Magebane prevents the one who… ingests it from using magic but also prevents magic from being used on them. It is a rather unforgiving poison." I stepped into the grey towel that was more like a sheet.

"That is terrible. And Templars _used_ those? On Mages?" Suddenly I felt even more sympathy toward Anders and the mage that was once named Cole. Had they been doused with magebane to keep them complacent? What about the mages in Kirkwall? Cole slowly dying of not just starvation but any wounds he was inflicted with by the Templars. Anders left in solitude with his wounds, going mad by himself. I felt tears prick at my eyes but swallowed heavily.

Sheet off, Alon was slathering on more poultice onto my back. It was cooling the heated flesh. I could remember the feel of the whip and closed my eyes. It would probably be worse on Earth. Stitches and drugs that would make me feel woozy and constant checks up. Elfroot is a magical plant that sure speeds up recovery.

"You'll need to sleep without bandages so the wounds will close up properly and then once they do, just a bit of elfroot oil will help them along, assuming you haven't regained your magic by then." Alon wiped his hand off and led me to bed, naked might I add. "I shall empty the tub and then join you in bed."

I lay there. The bed was comfortable, then again anything with a bit of cushion was more comfortable than my cot. The floor and dirt was more comfortable but if I wasn't so terrified of the small spiders, let along the big spiders, I would probably sleep there. There wasn't any pillows so I rested my head on my arms, my back open to the air.

I listened to Alon come and go with buckets to empty the tub.

* * *

 _The rattling of the chains and the strain of the shackles was enough to know another lash had hit. Her silent pleas into the night air as tears seeped into her hair._

 _Blood dripped onto the dirt and he stood, the whip in his hand, begging so she didn't suffer anymore._

 _"Please!"_

 _It reverberated around the encampment and the red-eyed one simply ordered another from the lover._

 _The whip raised hesitantly as he considered betraying his leader. But another lash was dealt. Each one inflicting physical pain on her and emotional turmoil in him._

I woke up crying, gripping at the air, shaking but hands pulled me to a chest. Arms encircled me. I could barely hear him hushing me as I panicked, my hands reaching to my back, believing I was bleeding.

"Shh Mercy. I'm here."

My breaths heaved as I tried to fight him but he held me still, hands drawn to between us to stop me.

We were rocking, slowly and then there was humming, slow and low. Tender lips and hands that have known intimacy ran between my locks, massaging my scalp with the pads of his fingers.

"Mercy. You're safe."

I don't think I was but I clung to Alon because I did feel safe with _him_.

"Shh…" He continued, rocking me against him. I didn't fight but I still cried.

Eventually I dissolved into shaky breathing. I pressed my ear against Alon's chest. I listened to his heart beating. _This_ was real. What happened… it was done. It wasn't happening now.

With each breath I calmed and he began to hum again once I settled against him, our legs entwined.

His humming got slower but he whispered something at first. I looked up at him to see him looking down at me, his fingers still running through my hair.

"Can-a you, can-a you come to see," he broke off his lyrics and continued to hum. I knew that song. What was it? It's been so long. I closed my eyes as he continued to hum the entire thing all over. I smiled.

"Enchanter come to me." I sang softly to his humming, he stopped and peered down at me. I don't know what expression was that but I felt warm, I felt… cared for. He sang with me.

"Enchanter come to me. Enchanter come to see." I settled closer to him, resting on his chest as we both sang. "Can-a you, can-a you come to see, as you once were blind. In the light now you can sing? In our strength we can rely, and history will not repeat."

He hummed and I sang, picking up only when I began drifting off into a peaceful sleep.


	31. Robbing the Cradle

**WARNING:** There is NSFW content in this chapter.

* * *

I slept in short bursts, waking to find Alon still next to me. Eventually when morning came, I could hear the winter birds chirping and the calls of the fennec foxes as they scampered around outside. My eyes adjusted to the bright sunny light filtering in between the slats of the balcony doors. When had Alon closed them?

I rolled my shoulders, looking to my right and saw Alon laying on his stomach a bundle of blankets used as a pillow. And he didn't think to give me one? _Rude_.

Pursing my lips, I sat up slowly, testing my back as I arched up. It was less painful than yesterday but I could feel the sore muscles and heard my bones pop as I stretched. It wasn't completely terrible.

Elfroot is an amazing plant. I'll have to pick some from those bushes to take back to the encampment.

I froze.

I didn't even want to return back. Not with that monster there.

 _Emeric_.

I'll make him pay. It was bad enough I had to be punished like that but worse yet that he made Alon do it. Looking to my lover, I smiled. Gentle, caring I liked him. I… really liked him.

Cheeks burning I looked away. Was I going to be juvenile even in my own thoughts?

Yes. I was.

I like _like_ Alon.

I buried my face into my hands and shook my head. It was still too soon but I do care about him. And when we aren't having stupid arguments, we do enjoy each other's company. Very much given how riled up he made me last night.

Huffing, I looked at him. His hair was mussed by sleep. He must have been tired. Riding the horse all night to get me here and then doing whatever preparations during the day while I slept and then comforting me when I had that nightmare. Shifting as quietly as I could and without disturbing him, I leaned over to place a kiss on his shoulder.

He stirred in his sleep at that, the blanket moved and I noticed something odd. Ridges on his back that weren't normal. No… they looked like scars. Just how many battle wounds had he suffered in his life?

I pulled the sheet back, intending on kissing each one and choked back a gasp at what I saw.

Crisscrossing marks in the shape of X's all down his back as though- _No_.

I covered my mouth.

He'd been whipped too.

I barely managed to strangle my sob at the thought. What could he have _ever_ done to deserve to be whipped?

He stirred, reaching for me with one hand and when he came up empty he sat up and saw me. "Mercy?"

Alon turned and then froze as he looked down at the blanket and he seemed to grimace.

"How many lashes?" I muttered at him.

"It was a long time ago." He sighed, defeated. How had I never noticed before?

He always dressed so fast when I shared a tent with him. Even our first tryst my hands were held aloft and the second one they were busy holding him to my chest. And… and last night he wouldn't let me touch his back to check to see if the daggers had left scars. I closed my eyes.

"Mercy, dearest. They do not even hurt." He sat up and turned, and pulled my hands to his chest. "Put it out of your mind. Many of us do not like to be reminded of our shame."

Hold the phone.

Many of us?

I flinched back. "Many? You mean…" Alon cringed. "You mean the others have been too?"

"Mercy."

"No… no. This… this cannot _stand_. I can't believe- no. Corporal punishment should not be this common!" I couldn't even think that the other Blades have been punished like this? My stomach dropped. Had Alise? Had Frail? Brig? Mira? Jany? Beltrude? I looked up at Alon sharply. "What do you mean by shame?"

"Can we not first break-"

"No. Tell me." I was adamant about this. What was his "shame" and why do they not like being reminded? I had an idea but… no. It couldn't.

He sighed heavily, eyes closing as he shifted to lean against the headboard. "I joined the Blades ten years ago, you know this. About the time of the fifth blight."

I nodded but crawled toward, grabbing his hand. He pulled me closer and as if to distract me, his hands rubbing at my shoulders once I settled on his lap.

"It was just a year after Javon had recruited me. I had taken the oath but there was still so much I had yet to learn. I was….very young."

"How old were you?"

"I was… 11 during the fifth blight." I choked and he paused to look at me. "What?"

"Nothing… c-continue." I hid my expression.

" _Mercy_." That stern lieutenant voice was going to get to me one of these days.

"I'll tell you after."

He looked at me suspiciously but I bit my tongue. Oh boy.

"I was still new to the Blades, and as such I misbehaved. I had just lost my only family and I buckled under the new pressures." Alon continued, though he did look at me curiously every few moments.

"I caused damage to one of our encampments by my stubbornness to comply to the order of Javon. As such… I was punished. I was assigned five lashes."

"You were a child!"

"Yes. Mercy calm…" he looked at me and I sat still. "It has always been a custom that if any of our own must be punished, the punishment is shared by whomever wishes to share it. It forms a solidarity amongst our rank. We work together and if one of us has done wrong, it is on all of us for the folly. Therefore… when I was assigned five lashes, Javon took three and I received two."

"Oh."

"Yes. Which is…" Alon frowned and shook his head. "I do not understand why Emeric would not allow me to take even half your assigned lashes. He refused to allow one of our eldest customs."

"You... you asked to share in my punishment?" I reached up to touch his cheek, his hand covered mine holding it there as I stared, awed at him.

"I know what it felt like the first time, I did not wish for you to suffer alone."

"Oh… oh Alon." I whispered. I pressed our lips together in comfort. I could feel his stubble coming in this time. "When did you get the other lashes?" I sighed against his cheek, entwining our hands.

"I received another punishment of ten when I inadvertently protested too much in a mark we had been assigned to kill. It was a family moving through our hills. But as it turned out they were blood mages. I didn't know that." I didn't blame him. Seeing what my magic, however underdeveloped it is, can do and then seeing what Yvette a truly powerful and well trained mage can do, I can only imagine how horrifying blood magic is when used for power and destruction. "The children weren't theirs and Javon knew that but failed to tell us. He feared if we let on, they would kill them anyway. They did despite that. I took all ten lashes myself then."

"Is that all of them?"

"No."

"I took twenty lashes of forty that were… assigned to Dugan." I tensed. _Twenty_?!

"Why would you do that?" Incredulous I stared at him, his expression was somber as he remembered his departed friend no doubt.

"Dugan allowed his wife to die, in order to save me from an ambush that would have left me crippled had I survived."

It struck me then. The Blades of Hessarian really _are_ a cult. To punish someone for _that_. And with a child no less. I gulped and hugged Alon closer. His arms carefully wrapped around me, I felt him take a calming breath before he nuzzled against my neck and then I felt something very wet lick at a pressure point before he nipped it.

"Alon..." I huskily moaned and he continued until a resounding growl came from my stomach.

He let out a bark of laughter against me, but nipped me once more. "Come now we break our fast."

Of course it wasn't just eating breakfast first. Alon checked my back, like a mother hen, and once he was satisfied with the progress we both dressed. I still couldn't wear a breast band, not that I needed one if I wasn't going to be fighting. But he and I went downstairs.

The shadows were a lot more powerful in the lodge downstairs, until I opened the slated window covers and light streamed in. Dust particles floating in the air as I followed after my ginger lover into a room I hadn't seen yet.

I paused at the doorway as he rolled up his sleeves to pump water from the water closet.

I grinned as I took in the kitchen. It was a kitchen! An actual kitchen. Though dated and … medieval-y, it was still very much a kitchen. There was a stove oven of sorts that Alon began to light up with logs, warming the top of it as he cleaned it off and then set a scoop of what looked like fat onto it to melt. Then he set a kettle onto the other portion of it to warm.

I missed tea. Well I missed coffee too but tea. I would love tea. It wasn't often I could have tea now.

He moved around the kitchen easily and I stood back watching him.

"Soo… you're quite the scullery maid." I mumbled as he opened the larder in the pantry and pulled out what looked like strips of meat and a loaf of bread and cheese wheel.

"I beg your pardon. Did you just- did you just call me a _scullery_ maid?" He set his bundle down and I smirked. "Oh this will not do. I must assert my masculinity now to get that horrid thought out of your mind."

"Oh? And exactly how will you assert your _masculinity_ to me?" I stepped back away as he stalked closer to me, his eyes glinting predatorily. Alon cornered me against the wooden counter, I smiled jumping up to sit on it.

"Here? In the kitchen?" He looked amused.

"Why not?"

"Perhaps once your stomach is full, I will stuff you full." His face, oh maker _his face_. He tried so hard to hold his serious expression before he broke down and laughed. His head hanging in shame, shoulders shaking.

I guffawed at him. "That was terrible! Oh maker that pun was soo bad, I think not even Varric Tethras would use it in one of his books!" I broke out into peals of laughter as I laid down on the counter.

"I will admit…" He snorted. "That it was a terrible pun. Even I am ashamed of it." He pulled away, yanking me off the counter and into his arms, still laughing. "Come, you will be the _scullery_ _maid_ while I go collect more logs for the hearth."

"Yes, master. Right away." I snorted as I grabbed the meat slabs and laid them on the stove into the fat.

The slabs of meat turned out to be thickly cut nug bacon, and contrary to dwarves saying things that taste like nug are gross, nug bacon when fried in fat was _delicious_. I could feel the cholesterol building in my veins just from smelling it cook.

I was just cutting up slices off the cheese wheel when the kettle went off. Alon walked in shirtless and set an axe down by the door.

"I've got it." He hefted the kettle off the oven and added what I assumed was an assortment of tea leaves and herbs. I sniffed the air. I couldn't figure out what kind of tea that was but it smelled like green tea but not quite. I'm not a tea connoisseur nor was I a coffee nut on Earth. Sadly the extent of my knowledge for either extended to decaf or caffeinated and green tea or earl grey. I know there was more to it but… I never partook in that.

"What is that?"

"Embrium tea." He was pouring it out and I looked at the water as the reddish color seeped in. It looked like black tea, like earl grey. I wondered if I could add cream to it and sugar. But I pushed that thought aside, we probably had neither. So long as we weren't drinking _ale_ with breakfast, I welcomed the tea.

Bacon crispy, cheese slices and bread broken off, we both sat on stools to eat. It was rather _domestic_. I flushed at the thought but hid behind my cup of tea.

"You didn't tell me." Alon poised the question as he took a bite out of his third slice of bacon.

"What?"

"Earlier, when we were…" He trailed off not wanting to bring up the sad conversation. It took a second but it dawned on me.

"Oh. _That_." I giggled into my tea, a grin stretching across my face.

"Yes… _that_. What was it about? You choked when I mentioned I was… 11 during the blight." He narrowed his eyes. "Mercy… I'm fine. I know I was young-"

"No! No. That's not." I covered my face as I laughed.

"Then _what_?"

"Just… you were 11 during the blight. That was ten-ish years ago right?"

"Yes. Approximately."

"Well that means you're 21 now, correct?" He narrowed his eyes at me. "Which means I'm older than you."

"What?! No. Mercy you are not elder than I."

"Oh I am. By eight years to be exact." I smirked, crossed my legs and leaned back to stare at him triumphantly.

"But you…" He stopped eating to stare at me, really stare at me. "No. You… you can't be."

"Well… ten years ago I was 19. Ten years ago you were 11. No matter when it was, I am still nearly a decade older than you." I chortled at the disbelief apparent on his face. Perplexed and flummoxed could be used to describe him.

"How? You… I know you had to at least have been elder than fifteen as I had the…the misfortune to overhear you and Alise discussing your… _womanly_ time." He looked slightly disgusted to admit that. _Men_ , no matter which world they still can't handle discussing a woman's period.

"My menses?"

"Yes." He shook his head. "But I would have thought you no older than twenty. You appear so… so young."

"I will take that as a compliment. Flattery will get you everywhere, afterall." I stood up with my nose in the air.

"Much as I like to use flattery to tempt you into my bed, but you are quite soft and youthful. How you managed to maintain your girlish appearance is beyond me." He followed after me, the wooden bowls being washed immediately by me.

"Did you think I was a nubile virgin?" I teased.

"Well if you were, you most definitely are not now." He retorted. I sputtered, smacking him. "Maker… you're older than me." He was still incredulous even as we climbed up the stairs, breakfast finished. I had no idea what we were going to do now. "Makes my suspicions of you being a noble that much more sound. You look and feel like you haven't worked a day in your life."

"Now that I take offense to. I have worked… just… maybe not your kind of work." I glared at him.

"Oh? Tell me did this work involve writing to your fellow nobles and collecting the latest gossip?" Alon smirked as we entered the bedroom, the room was still warm from the low fire.

"I'll have you know I have done some hard work in my life!" I shook my fist at him.

"Oh, do enlighten me, milady." He smirked while mock bowing, thinking he had me beat. But I grinned widely and he immediately looked worried.

"Go lay in bed." I ordered pointing.

"What?"

"Just do it. I'm going to show you what I used to do for a living, well… before I was an artist anyway."

Alon made for the bed but halted. "If you're about to show me how you used to work as a-"

" _No_ ooo." I emphasized the no, already knowing where he was going with that. "I was not a prostitute. Now go lay down on your stomach while _I_ prepare." I grinned as he looked worried but he lay down nonetheless.

I rummaged through the bags he had brought, seeing my bag. While on the coast during my very short scouting sessions there, too scared of the possible giants, druffalos and the dragon seeing me, I'd pick up rocks, smooth from the tide over who knows how long. Mostly because I'd heat them in hot water and then rest my feet on them to soothe my feet once I was finished walking around.

I plopped the rocks down on the small table between the chairs by the hearth. "Do we have elfroot oil?"

"Yes." That was too close, I looked to see him standing and staring at me curious. "I'd like to know what you're going to show me. Perhaps I can help you… prepare."

"Oh no. Don't worry. I've got this, but… pull out all the elfroot oil we have. I can feel my magic returning." To display this I made a crackling with electricity trail as I waved in the air.

I headed back downstairs, hearing footsteps behind me as Alon followed. I didn't let him stop me though. I grabbed the kettle, its waters still very hot. I grabbed one of the ladles and then took it upstairs, or attempted to. Alon grabbed the iron kettle and carried it up.

Once back in the bedroom, I plopped the smooth rocks into the kettle and let it sit on the stone by the hearth.

"Mercy… dearest… what exactly are you preparing that involves… heating rocks? You can't cook that." He looked at me as though I was crazy but I grinned widely. Slowly I removed my tunic and then dropped it on the floor in a heap. My trousers dropped as well and I stood in front of Alon in nothing but my smalls, my chest bare. I let him drink me in for a moment.

"Strip." I said huskily. He shucked his tunic off and was removing his trousers when I stilled his hand. "Leave your smalls on." He looked at me about to ask, but I pulled at his trouser laces and pushed them down. "Now…Alon"

"Mercy..." He groaned grabbing for me. I stepped out of his reach.

"Tsk tsk. Go lay down." I pointed at the bed again. I watched as he sank down onto the bed, the straining against his smalls was obvious. I almost felt bad.

I grabbed the elfroot oil and approached the bed, but didn't climb on. Instead I pushed Alon down. "Lay on your stomach." He hesitated but still did it.

"Before I was an artist, I worked as a masseuse." I explained as I climbed on, sitting on his arse while I warmed the oil between my hands.

"Massaging? A what?"

"Oh good, you know a bit of Orlesian." I smiled. I had wondered if they had this.

"Are you sure where you worked wasn't a brothel. I have heard of young women being tricked into working places like that."

"I'm sure. All I ever did was massage people."

"And… you were in a similar state of undress?"

I giggled. "No. This is actually just for you. But when I massaged other people I was fully clothed. Actually I was made to look as unappealing as possible to ensure none of my clientele tried anything." I paused as I rubbed the oil on my hands. "Though that didn't stop everyone, I still never slept with any of my clients." _Technically._ "Now, just lay down and enjoy this. It might hurt a little bit but it's wonderful."

He was tense, probably scared this would hurt a lot but as I began, I took it slow. My hands working the oil into his skin softly at first and as he relaxed I pressed a bit harder. He tensed when I put pressure but again he relaxed.

"Hmmm, this is rather..." He mumbled as I began working my way down his back, noting the especially tense and knotted muscles.

"Relaxing?" I offered as he trailed off. "It can also be enjoyable." I whispered into his ear, leaning over and pressing my chest to his back, while still massaging his lower back. He took a deep breath in response, his arms flexing to no doubt turn us over. But I pressed my hand in the center of his back. "Not yet. I want to treat you to this."

I didn't hear him disagree but he did still his movements. That's when I paused and climbed off to grab the stones. I ladled them out and laid them in the bucket for ease of use and then wrapped the biggest one in my tunic and set it on Alon's lower back. "Is that uncomfortable?" He hummed a negative response and I smiled. I grabbed the two medium stones that were also the smoothest and began transferring the heat to Alon's back, eyeing the scars and wanting to kiss each of them.

By the time I began using the stones, piling the cooled ones along his spine, I heard a faint snore from him. I smiled but continued massaging, pleased. Maybe if I manage to leave the Blades I could start Thedas's first massage parlor.

I didn't have enough stones to do a full body hot stone massage so I put the ones on his spine back into the water, but by then he was sitting up and watching me work.

"Maker bless whoever taught you how to do that." He rolled his shoulders as he sat up. His face was even fully relaxed and boy did he now look like a twenty one year old.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." I wiped my hands on the tunic but he grabbed me. "I'm not done you know."

"Don't care." His mouth was hot, pressing against mine and he pulled me onto his lap, holding me there.

Languid slow strokes and kissing was all that was on his mind. His hands in my hair and keeping me close while I gripped his shoulders. His teeth nipped my bottom lip, sucking on it as I hissed. I wanted more; so much more.

"We have no _tea_." He groaned into my lips.

"Huh?" I pulled back. Well, _shit_.

He hissed because I was sitting on his lap and I had been grinding against him, my wetness seeping through my smalls. "Haaa… oh fuck." He grunted as I lifted off him.

"Hmmm…" I looked between us. "I've an idea. Lay back Alon."

"Mercy you've done enough you don't have to…to… ah." He stopped talking as soon as I climbed on top of him, my back to him and crawled on all fours until I took him in my mouth and poised myself over his face, smalls already stripped. "Yes… I like your ideas." He chuckled.

* * *

We were lying in bed again after midday meal. I was pressed to his side as his fingers worked me toward the edge over and over. He watched me intently, squirming and mewling. I was practically begging at that point when Alon stopped, withdrawing his fingers to feed them to me.

"Aloonn" I whined but he tutted and I sucked his fingers of my juices.

"I still feel wicked." He mumbled.

"Hmm?" I looked up at him.

"Well, even if I know you're older than I… I still can't help but view you as innocent and younger. You are so smooth, hairless." He cupped my sex for emphasis and I moaned while he chuckled. "I suppose I had hoped when I saw… that you were perhaps a virgin but even now it still feels as though I am taking the virginity of a young bride." He whispered darkly into my ear.

"Oh?" I crooned as his fingers slipped out of my mouth and trailed over my bosoms.

"These too…they make me think of you as young."

" _What_?" I glared up him, pulling out of his grasp. "I'm not that small am I?"

"What, no no you're-"

"I know I'm smaller tha-than Alise and definitely smaller than Beltrude but I'm not…I don't have a _tiny_ chest." I looked down at my chest, feeling self-conscious.

"Mercy… I didn't mean that they were tiny, I meant that they are soft." Alon gripped me desperately. "Most women are quite muscled even in their chest due to hard labor. I thought you were quite young because your bosoms are very soft, pliant and-…and" he fished around for another word to make up for the offense. I rather enjoy him desperately trying to fix this. "Perky!"

"Perky huh?" I sat up, puffed out my chest and shimmied my shoulders. "Yeah… perky." I looked up just in time to see him pounce forward and we were rolling around on the bed, my legs wrapping around his waist. I managed to push him down, though I doubt he put up that much of a fight when our parts aligned. I could feel him there and he looked up at me.

It was a tense moment, we stared at each other long until I made the decision. I crawled off him, not willing to risk it but immediately turned around and took him in my mouth. After all it wasn't fair he had worked me until the edge without release, time to reciprocate.

* * *

I lay back against the tub, my arms stretched out on the rim and my legs hanging out of the tub. It was a good bath-No, a fantastic bath.

Bubbles broke the surface of the water and Alon surfaced up to take a breath, eyeing me cheekily before he delved down again.

Like I said, a _fantastic_ bath.

* * *

I reheated the water once our activities finished and it was down to business this time. Alon handed me the small bottle Yvette had left me.

I opened it and was hit by the smell of lavender. "Oh… oooh."

"Pray tell what has you coming now, if not my tongue." I smacked him but poured out a bit of the soap and began massaging it into my hair.

"This soap…oooh maker this is wonderful." I groaned as I felt weeks of dirt and grime stripped out of my hair.

I felt his hands join mine. "Like this?" I hummed and he took over.

"You just want to be the only one to elicit these noises from me, don't you?"

"Me?" He mocked gasped. "Oooh you caught me, my dearest."

Scalp massage over, I used more soap and washed his hair, to his constant protests, at least until he had my version of a scalp massage, which involved me sitting front of him, my chest within mouth reach.

Once everything was put away and cleared out, we climbed into bed. Hopefully there wouldn't be any nightmares this time. _Hopefully_.


	32. I'm Here To Help

I had fallen asleep to the feel of Alon next to me and the scent of lavender practically swallowing us. Neither of which I woke up to just then. I sat up in the room, it was warm the fire was going and it was still dark out if the balcony was any indication.

I looked around the room to ensure I wasn't missing something. Something felt…off. It was blurry too. I rubbed my eyes and took a deep breathe.

Motherfucking shit! There was no smell. This was the fade!

Growling, I climbed out of bed and pulled on the clothes that were thankfully still on the floor. I always woke up in the fade with whatever I had fallen asleep in, this time I was naked. However I hadn't had a fade dream in a long time let alone one with a demon or spirit.

Wait.

Tying up my tunic I cast around me, trying to sense if there was someone else here or something else. I knew I could sense demons and spirits but I couldn't distinguish them. Not that I've met many spirits so far.

"Who is there?"

"Blood dripping into the dirt. She is crying screaming. So much blood. I have to stop this but I shouldn't. The oath. I swore, I promised. I. Am. Loyal."

I knew that voice!

"Cole?!"

The voice halted and I looked around wildly. I approached the balcony but the sense of someone there was weaker and then I turned toward the bed but started seeing two bodies suddenly. There in bed was Alon, sleeping and hunched over him was the figure of the little spirit Compassion named Cole.

"You know who I am?" His wide brimmed brown hat lifted as he peered up at me. Those curious and heavy blue eyes were somehow more powerful in reality, his blonde hair limp and pushed down by his hat. It wasn't nearly as wide brimmed as I thought it'd be but it was floppy.

"I do. How… how are you here? You're not supposed to be here." I stepped up to him, not at all worried about Alon. I trusted Cole wasn't going to hurt him.

"Your hurt, it was loud. It made it hard to concentrate on helping. I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner."

"It's alright Cole. I… I didn't know you could hear me. Is it easier to concentrate now?" I wanted to hug him. I felt guilty for making him feel my pain. I didn't know Cole could sense that much and that far.

"Yes. When you sleep."

"Is that why we're in the fade? So you can help my hurt?"

"We're not in the fade." His straight forwardness was as unexpected as the answer.

We're not in the fade? Then where were we? So much for me being able to sense the fade.

"We're in your head." It didn't bother me in the least that he knew what I was thinking. It was actually expected and a bit of a relief. Not the part that he could hear me so clearly and so far away.

"But… if we're in my head how come Alon is here?" I asked him only to see Alon disappear.

"You hurt, not for yourself but for him for what he had to do. You wish you could have stopped it, could have helped him." Cole stepped toward me. He was a lot taller than I expected. He could easily have half a foot on me if he wasn't hunched over and looking down. His hands played with the threads of his sleeves.

"Just like with mother and father. Blood dripping into the dirt. She's in pain, so much pain you want to stop it, want to help. But even daddy can't help. What could you do? You were too small, too young, too helpless."

I flinched back away.

"I'm sorry, I hurt you more you'll for-"

I lunged for Cole and put my hands over his mouth. His eyes wide, bewildered, but so blue and bright

"I don't want to forget. Under no circumstances are you to make me forget. I _want_ to remember. Remembering helps me. It helps the hurt if I remember. It just takes _time_ , Cole. Do you understand?" I needed him to not make me forget anything, I needed all the memories I had. Or else… what help could I be?

I could tell he didn't understand. It will be awhile before he does but so long as he doesn't wipe any of my memories. "Promise me, you won't make me forget. Not even if I beg you." I looked at him and he nodded slowly. "Thank you." I pulled away from him, sighing.

"It would be faster if I made you-"

"No Cole. Time… time is what I need." Truthfully, I didn't want to be reminded but I didn't want to forget it. Even I knew my memories not connected to Thedas were important. "Thank you for trying to help Cole. Just… just knowing someone wanted to help, is more than enough comfort." He looked down, his silence made me worry.

I took a tentative step toward him again but he disappeared and then I was in bed, Alon's warmth next to me and the morning white light let me know it was overcast. I breathed in. The faint scent of lavender let me know this wasn't the Fade or my head.

I sat up only to see the wide brimmed hat and raggedy boots and clothes on the spirit of compassion who balanced on the foot of the bed easily.

"Co-" I stopped short and looked to Alon to make sure I hadn't woke him but looked back at Cole. "Cole." I whispered harshly and then I remembered I went to bed naked and my chest was on display. I fumbled for the blanket to cover up, cheeks heating at the thought I practically flashed the spirit. "What are you doing?"

"Helping." He held his hand out to me where a small bundle of leaves were. "I feel better, lighter when we are close, together, joined. Skin on skin, breath warm, lips so soft. So hot-"

"Stop reading my thoughts."

"Those are his." He looked pointedly at Alon and I flushed even more. I looked at the bundle in my hands now.

"What is this?"

"Tea _._ " Was his simple response and I looked at him confused. "I have to go. They are moving."

"Who is?"

"The Templars." I almost wish the puff of smoke had a BAMF sound effect like he'd be Thedas's own Kurt Wagner but it was more of a sound of air shifting suddenly, like wind but not.

Laying back, I sighed.

That was unexpected. I never thought I'd meet Cole this soon. Maybe if I managed to convince the future Herald and Leliana to not kill me, I might see him. But the Breach hadn't even happened yet. How odd. He said the Templars were moving, what does that mean?

I squinted in thought but shook my head. It was out of my control. I couldn't really dwell on it. I can only hope my letter reached Leliana in time. If not… then I had to prepare for the oncoming rifts to appear.

I brought the bundle of leaves up to my nose and gagged at the smell, coughing and turned away from them. What in the _fuck_ kind of tea was this? Was Cole trying to give me pig shit-

Tea.

I looked at Alon and then at the leaves.

 _Tea._

My cheeks were flaming as I realized Cole was helping me get laid! Of all the… Yeah no that does sound like him. Especially if the thoughts he spoke outloud were true.

I slipped out of the bed and as quietly as I could I donned Alon's tunic. He and I were of the same height but he was bulkier than I. Still the tunic hung just past mid-thigh. Casting a glowing orb, I grabbed the kettle, pulling out the cold stones and setting them to dry, I hobbled my way downstairs to prepare this _tea._

I had a tray of the last of the cheese, bread, and more nug bacon as I walked into the bedroom. In two goblets was embrium tea and a single serving of _tea_. I almost wanted to laugh as I set the wooden tray on the table down. Then I set to work setting the scene as quietly as I could.

Everything was set and I added a warming rune to keep the food and tea warm before sitting down, my legs outstretched to show them off. I hiked the tunic up a bit to be just the right amount of teasing and left the laces mostly undone in the front. I even ruffled my hair

Then I grabbed the book Yvette gave me and began reading, or tried to because there was a chuckle. I turned to see Alon very awake and watching me while lounging on his side. "How long have you been up?"

"Since you came up with the tray." I slumped my shoulders at his reply. Damnit, I wanted to surprise him when he woke up. "It was rather fun watching you set everything up, especially when _my_ tunic rode up and teased me. Blasted thing." He was climbing out and eyed me hungrily.

"Hungry?"

"Yes." Came his throaty reply but he didn't get up nor did I. Damnit I even made a place setting, no way was I going to give up on teasing him while he ate.

"Well, come and eat then." I smiled at him and grabbed one bacon, chewing it slowly. I heard him sigh deeply before he rose. I didn't let on how disappointed I was when I heard the pants scruff against the floor as he did his trousers up and then walked right to the hearth, stepping over my legs and adding in two more logs.

I watched, excited as he went to sit opposite me with a huff. He grabbed a goblet and drank before grabbing the bacon. I watched as I idly turned the pages of my book. I had covered the _tea_ so the smell wouldn't leak out and let on.

I finished my slice of bacon and peaked up. He was chewing and looking at the tray curiously. I noticed him swallow and tilt his head. "What is that?" Alon asked, nodding his head toward the small wooden cup.

"It's tea." I began sucking off the grease from my fingers, slowly and then letting them go with a pop. I spied his nostrils flaring and his adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed slowly.

"Tea?" He cleared his throat.

I leaned forward, letting the tunic hang low, exposing myself to him. " _Tea._ " I could see the realization dawning.

"Just where did you get that?" He asked suspiciously. _Oh, crap._ How do you explain a spirit of compassion got the tea so you could get laid and possible comfort each other when you both were tortured, one physically and one emotionally?

I pursed my lips but pointed to my bag. "I found it at the bottom this morning. I think Frail or Yvette might have snuck it in." Yes. Very believable.

"Well then, today indeed is a good start to the new year." He rose and walked toward me, placing his goblet down.

What? New Year?

"Happy First Day, Mercy." He dipped down and pulled me into a kiss.

My stomach clenched tightly. New year. As in… Dragon 9:41. No. Oh no. No. No. No! it's too soon. I'm not ready. How did I lose track of time? I was so meticulous! I had my calendar made up and everything… MY CALENDAR!

"Mercy?" I looked at Alon hovering over me worriedly. "Are you alright?"

I blinked. "Yeah… I just… I don't want to drink the tea." Good Save, wonderful save.

A dark chuckle made my spine shiver as Alon dipped low and captured my lips in a toe curling kiss. "Then I shall do milady a favor and drink every last drop. But know, you are not leaving that bed once I have."

Oooh, kinky. I pouted my lips. "We should finish eating first, so we'll have the energy." I fluttered my eyelashes at him. He sighed but sat back down to finish eating. "Good boy." I praised him and he stopped, marching to me and snatching the book from my lap.

"I am anything but a good _boy._ " He growled and then hefted me out of the seat and threw me over his shoulder. I could feel his muscles rippling underneath me from the effort. He turned, snatched the tea and drank it down. "If anything, you're quite a naughty temptress." He smacked my arse and I yelped.

"Don't I deserve a good spanking then?"

"Don't tempt me further," Was the last thing I heard before I was tossed onto the bed.

* * *

It was still dark when Alon woke me. We had to get going before first light if we wanted to make it by nightfall. Yay, I thought bitterly, riding in a saddle all day.

I pulled on my last pair of clean smalls and breast band and stole one of Alon's tunics. My back was sadly not devoid of scars once I got around to healing it, just as Alon predicted. Good to know, the longer you wait the more likely it is to scar.

I pulled my hair in to a high ponytail, to keep it out of the way should we be attacked on the road. Then we had stale bread and the rest of the cheese with water and then we were off. The horse had been tended to by Alon whenever I had slept or during my little breaks between each session of romping as I learned. I never got around to getting those elfroot bushes trimmed, but as Alon hitched the bags to the horse, I noticed the bushes were significantly trimmed.

We only stopped once, to eat the rest of the bread and some winter berries Alon pulled out of his pouch.

As we gave the horse a rest, both of us walking along side it we heard footsteps running toward us.

Alon had his sword up, my gloved hands pulled at the fade but we stopped when we saw friendly colors.

"Mercy! You have to come quick!"

"Frail?" Alon stepped forward.

"You have to hurry! It's Patrice, she's gravely ill."

Alon and I had a brief look at each other before we threw the horse reigns at Frail and we began running. Our feet in sync as we jumped over familiar roots, rocks and turned a corner. Then it was down the cliff, we could see the encampment in the fading light. I huffed as I felt the pain in my legs. I wanted to go faster, if only –

Everything slowed down and for a moment I saw Alon right beside me and then everything became icy, cold and flurries filled my vision before I was already at the front gates of encampment seemingly having gone through several trees. I braced for impact and nearly fell over. I looked back to see Alon yards away, looking at me confused.

 _Fade Step?_

I shook myself of the flurries and continued into the encampment.

The other Blades were stepping back away from the healer's tent allowing me through.

"Thank the maker, you're here." Yvette looked like she'd been up all night, her hair a mess and she was sweating. "I've tried everything."

"What is it?"

"I don't rightly know. I thought your natural affinity might help." I nodded and peeked at the only occupant on one of the cots. I stepped up, Yvette going off to take a break. Patrice was groaning and moaning on the cot in obvious pain.

"Patrice, do you hear me?"

She gave a great gasp, both of her eyes opening and I cried seeing her normally whited out injured eye completely crystallized in red and glowing.

* * *

 **5 Coloured Walker** , Thanks! I'm happy the fluff is being taken well.

 **Holly Holiday** , I'm quite glad someone made the connection with regard to Alon and why he blindly follows. it's all he ever has known! I also agree with your sentiments, the game leaves much to be desired for with regard to the personality of the inquisitor. Also bit of a spoiler, the Aloncy (AlonxMercy ship) goes on for quite a while so don't worry or be discouraged when you get to some of the future chapters.

 **A. G. DuBois** , Polls are closed for that but I will add your vote in. I have to count up the ones given on AO3 as well, but thank you.


	33. Tear the World Asunder

I sunk to my knees outside of the healer's tent.

There wasn't anything I could do. That was red lyrium that means she'd been ingesting it, and I know who was giving it to her. I just wasn't allowed to speak about it now. That bastard was killing her. I wondered who else was ingesting that blight infected lyrium.

It's been a week and a half since Alon and I came back. I've spent every day and night in the tent, trying to see if there was something I could do, but the only thing I noted was the feel of lyrium growing inside of her, underneath her skin and in her blood spreading. I tried to dull the pain but nothing, absolutely nothing worked.

The only time I allowed myself to sleep was when Yvette came back from her own fitful sleep, looking worse for wear. I managed to crawl in next to Alon, now that my cot was back in his tent but I couldn't even enjoy sleeping next to him let alone sex, not that we tried. I was terrified that others in the camp were being fed the tainted lyrium. I woke up screaming that night, remembering the vision of Alon limping while holding his staff, red lyrium cracking out of his skin. He held me until I stopped sobbing, no doubt thinking I was still affected over my lashes. I was remembering but that paled in comparison to thinking those I had come to care for would be driven mad and be controlled by an Ancient Tevinter Magister.

I took a deep breath and rose to my feet to see Jany in front of me.

Despite his very apparent anger and disgust at me, he thought I was at least trying to save Patrice so he brought me water and food but never said anything. It was the same now as he handed me a refilled water skin and a bowl of soup. He didn't look at me, but peeked into the tent and walked off.

I only sipped at the soup, not very hungry but I knew I needed to eat something. Then I went back in the tent. I managed to get Patrice to swallow some of the soup as well but I kept the bucket handy.

I was preparing an elfroot potion with the large surplus of leaves that Yvette had managed to grab from the lodge when I heard footsteps. I turned and there was Bryant. He looked about as haggard and tired as I felt, his beard unshaven and untrimmed, his eyes rimmed in red.

Apparently everyone in the Blades had considered Patrice their surrogate mother or grandmother. She'd been part of the Blades since after the Orlesians were driven out of Fereldan. She had fought in King Maric's army but when her disability prevented her from continuing her service they sent her out, destitute and a cripple. She was too old to marry or start a family so she joined the Blades and found a family here.

I watched Bryant as he sat down and grabbed Patrice's hand. I didn't like being around him, I could still remember what the shackles felt like when he put them on me. "I'll give you a moment." He nodded and I slipped out into the cold again, pulling at my jacket. I stayed close by, hovering outside again. I took note of the still continuing daily activities. Swords were being sharpened, supplies being prepared. And there was Emeric, getting the mabari used to him so he could command them. But occasionally I saw them all take a moment to look back at the tent, worry evident.

Not Emeric though and that was suspicious. He looked out into the forest for long stretches of time before he barked orders at the dogs who were surprisingly keeping in line. Not Duchess or Leo because those two had been sent off to different camps as they kept trying to mate. Duchess was a runt, she'd never survive a pregnancy.

I turned back to the tent.

"-she was right!"

"Patrice…you're delusional."

"No. She was right. This was bad, look at me Bryant. Look at me. Feel this here… she was right. This… it's turning me into a monster. You have to kill me."

I paused and looked back around.

"I'm not going to do that. There could be something done, maybe an amputation?"

"Are you going to cut me up into pieces and fish every one of them out? It's everywhere. I can tell, both of the mages can tell but they aren't saying anything. They think…" Patrice broke into a heave, I could hear the slap of flesh against the bucket as she threw up. "Kill me. Please."

"We don't know it was the lyrium."

"She knows something then. Find out. Don't let Emeric know." Her voice sounded strained, the pain so clear and evident. I heard footsteps and jumped to hide between the two tents. I watched from around the corner as Bryant cast his eyes around searching for something and then he was off. He was approaching Alon.

"Mercy."

My heart beat kicked up as Yvette saw me. Bryant turned at the sound of my name and saw me step out. His eyes widened and he took a look around before leaving. He knew I heard them.

"Yes. What is it?"

"I've been reading some of my elder texts. I think we should try something." She pulled me into the tent to discuss it. "If you channel your magic into me, I'll be able to perform it. You have a much deeper reservoir of mana and if I had access to it, I'm sure I can shift whatever is growing inside of Patrice to be at least less painful."

"Don't talk as if I'm not here," The elder warrior coughed into the blanket. I could see blood staining it with each cough.

"How are you feeling?" Yvette walked over to her and I turned back to the elfroot potions, adding in the necessary ingredients to turn some of them into poultices.

"Like death."

"Stop being melodramatic."

"Me?" Another coughing fit from the elder woman. "Well, are you going to do your magic or wait for me to die?"

"Mercy, come here." I turned toward the two and stepped up. "Keep your hands on me, and when you pull at the fade instead of directing it to what I'm doing for you to learn, just direct your magic into me, let me pull from you."

"Alright." I placed my hands over Yvette's, took a look at Patrice and then pulled at the fade.

It has always been an odd sensation, one I couldn't yet do without closing my eyes. The fade pulled, the magic and essence of everything around me pulling together and then there was of course the minor tear in the veil from pulling from the fade. It was gone as fast as it appeared, not this time. I kept it open to pull more and directed it into Yvette.

It was a long time I did this. I didn't feel much of a difference in the way the magic was working only that I wasn't the one doing the magic. I was just a power source.

When Yvette pulled my hands off her, I knew it was done but as I faced the knight enchanter, her eyes filled with tears and she shook her head.

It was no use.

Yvette slumped into a chair, her braided hair falling around her and she lost all poise I had ever seen her with. Her shoulder slumped forward and she was stifling her sobs. I looked to Patrice who was nodding, her face accepting and then she was pushing herself up.

"Patrice, you should rest."

"Resting isn't going to do anything and I'll be Maker damned if I let myself die in an infirmary." She growled, pushing her way out of the tent. Yvette did nothing. I followed after the warrior, pleading with her to get back to lay down. "It's no way for a warrior to die." She muttered.

I followed after her, begging for her to go back to the tent but she disappeared into hers only exiting when she had her armor on, her shield strapped to her back and a sword at her side. "EMERIC!" She roared, or tried to as she broke down into a coughing fit, specks of blood splattered the ground, briefly glowing before fading away.

I watched as the whole encampment became silent. Patrice hobbled into the center, barely able to stand. She pointed her sword at Emeric as he came forward. "I challenge you for the right to lead!"

"Patrice-"

"You know what you did. I cannot allow you to remain unchallenged."

There was panic on Emeric's face now, his eyes flicked to me suspicious but they returned to Patrice. He squared his shoulder and nodded. He looked to the dogs, that Beltrude was pulling away back into the barn and then he drew his two handed sword. "You know this is to the death."

"I am aware."

"Very well, your bid for the Rite of the Sword is recognized."

I was pulled away from Patrice and as far back away from the center camp as possible.

Emeric and Patrice stared each other down. When they began moving I tried to turn away. I didn't want to watch this, but a firm grip on my hand prevented me.

"I can't watch this."

"You have to." Alon whispered to me, pulling me forward and keeping me facing the fight. I struggled against him. "We all have to."

"No." I whimpered as I saw Emeric block a side swipe from Patrice. He kicked her in the chest, sending her sprawling back. He wasn't holding back. "No." I pleaded, still fighting his grip.

Patrice charged at Emeric. Shield meeting sword with a clang that rang throughout the encampment. There was a splatter of blood as Patrice coughed, but he didn't let her recover. He charged at her. There was a crunch of bone and a screech as the sword ripped through Patrice.

I'd seen death already. So much death here. Bandits killed before me, Venatori blasted away with a fireball, even animals taken down with an arrow. This… this was brutal. She didn't stand a chance.

Emeric pulled the sword out and Patrice fell to her knees, blood pooling out of her. Emeric raised his sword and-

I couldn't look. I closed my eyes tightly as I heard metal against bone. The heaving breaths of Emeric and then the sword was dropped as a sob broke out of the leader. I opened my eyes as soon as Alon's grip on my arms loosened and I saw Emeric, clutching at the headless corpse and sobbing into the shoulder.

* * *

Yvette immolated the corpse on the same slab Alise had when Dugan died all those many weeks ago. The Blades began lining up to say a prayer but I didn't stay. I couldn't.

This was wrong. This shouldn't have happened.

I stomped my way back to the nearly empty encampment.

It'd be the perfect time for a bandit or venatori attack. I laughed bitterly at the thought. I dragged my staff behind me, the sun was getting low and it was getting colder but I didn't feel it. I couldn't feel much of anything then.

Patrice helped tie me down so Emeric could dole out a punishment, but she had always been kind to me. She'd been...motherly. She taught me how to sharpen a sword, how to aim a bow even when I had no reason to use a bow. She was there, a constant and I rarely spent any time with her.

"Mercy."

I whipped around to see Bryant.

"Will…whatever happened to Patrice, happen to me?"

I stared hard at him. He was physically bigger than me, stronger and far more battle savvy than me. If I gave him an unfavorable answer, would he attack? I narrowed my eyes at him and took a step back.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

Know the way to make someone paranoid? Say you're not going to hurt them. It's typically proceeded by you hurting them. "I don't know if it will happen to you too." I answered his question anyway, pulling my staff forward and in front of me in case he does attack.

His eyes flicked to my staff but nothing changed he remained at the same distance.

"Why not?"

"Because it differs from person to person. Some don't change, others…become monsters, horrors. Patrice _was_ changing."

"Did you know how to stop it?" His eyes were dark, sharp begging me to answer in the affirmative so he could be angry but I shook my head.

"No."

"Is there a way to stop it?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I mean I have never encountered it in front of me before. It's not like I'm an expert. I've only ever heard of it. I don't even know for sure who gave it to you-"

"Emeric did. He told us it would make us stronger Templars, that we wouldn't need the Chantry's lyrium."

Templars?! "Emeric lied." I gripped my staff tighter.

"He didn't." Bryant looked at me, his eyes glowing crimson with the red lyrium coursing through him.

"Then he failed to mention what could happen if-"

"If we weren't strong enough to handle the power." Bryant took a step toward me. My staff lit up in lightning as a warning. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Says every Templar ever before they hurt a mage." He flinched back.

"Bryant?" We both turned to see Alon walking into the encampment. His gaze went from Bryant to me suspiciously and then to my staff, still crackling with lightning. I let go of the fade. "Mercy? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah."

Bryant stared at Alon and then he turned to me. He mouthed an apology and said loud enough for me and Alon to hear. "He knew about it."

My blood must have frozen over at those words because for a moment I couldn't move but I could see Alon clearly. His face contorted in dread, eyes wide and then worry. And then he was moving toward me, running but I didn't wait, I ducked into our tent. I grabbed my bags and began pulling all my clothes into it.

"Mercy!" Alon entered stepping toward me. I had the barrier up before I could even think about it. He bounced back. "Mercy, let me explain."

"You _knew_ about the red lyrium. You knew and you didn't defend me. You made me think I was wrong because I was going against Emeric. That I would die if I spoke out!" I pushed the barrier outward and he stumbled back, the cots moved around me, papers flew. Lightning danced lightly over the spherical barrier.

"That's because I didn't know when I told you. I didn't know then." Alon hovered his hand over the barrier, looking at me.

"Do not _touch_ the barrier." I heaved, stuffing more clothes into the bags.

"Mercy, please."

"No. I thought I had to keep my mouth shut. That it would result in my death if I spoke out, Alon. Where I come from that is against the law but I'm not there. And because I didn't speak out… because I didn't tell anyone besides you of what I know… Patrice is dead. I could have done something to prevent that!" I felt the tears burning up but I swallowed, wiping them before they could fall. I sunk to the floor, the barrier disappearing.

"Mercy, I am…I cannot apologize enough. We all lost Patrice but to feel the burden of her death… I understand that. But you cannot be to blame." Alon inched his way toward me.

"No. I already know who I'm blaming for this." I clenched my fist.

"My dearest," my heart clenched at his nickname for me. I raised my hand to his face as he settled right next to me. He went to cup my hand but I slapped his face, his eyes wide with shock. Then I pulled him to me, kissing him. No, devouring him.

I pulled away from him. "Did you drink it when Emeric offered?"

Alon looked at me, he was silent for a moment. Then he rose and nausea filled me at the thought.

"I didn't drink it. But he did offer it." Alon opened up the barrel he usually kept his clothes in and pulled a small box out, a locked box. A box like the one I found in Emeric's cabin but this one was smaller. "I have not touched it since he gave it to me." He placed it in my lap along with the key and then sat on the cot.

I opened it and inside was a crystal, a bottle of some liquid and some apparatus I presumed to be what is used to crush the lyrium down into a liquid. I didn't care. I closed the box and marched out of the tent. I ignored the looks those coming back from the pyre and exited the encampment. I could hear footsteps behind me.

"Where is she going?"

"I am unsure."

Three pairs of feet and two voices. Frail and Alon, so the third pair must be Brig. I soldiered toward the pyre and saw the now blackened almost done burning corpse. I cut the fire short with a wave of my hand.

"Mercy-"

I reached right into the corpse, where I knew I had felt the crystal, my gloved hand grasping at bones and flesh until I felt it. I broke off a piece and yanked it out, holding it up for those who had followed me to see.

"If you drink it, you become it. It grows inside of you." I looked up. Brig was holding Frail back tightly and Alon was stepping up closely, head tilted.

The song!

I placed a barrier up, preventing Alon from getting close and picked up a rock and began smashing the red lyrium. I used a well-timed Stonefist to crush the corpse too, making sure what was left inside of it was also crushed.

"Red Lyrium is lyrium like a dragon is a lizard. It's not just the color that's different. It has a whole host of weirdness all its own." I quoted Varric from memory. "You don't even have to touch it for it to affect you."

Alon was blinking and rubbing his temples and Frail was looking at Brig. I opened up the box and crushed the crystal that was in there as well, then I dropped my barrier. I crushed the box for good measure and then re-ignited the corpse, beginning to move away.

"Brig…" I looked back to see Frail and Brig signing to each other quickly. I only caught parts of it.

I walked toward the encampment, sunset was near and I was hungry and exhausted. Alon was silent as he walked along side of me not touching.

We just crossed into the encampment when a loud crackling boom erupted jolting everyone awake and looking toward the sky. I looked up, a sense of knowing and dread already present.

In the distant far up in the mountains a stream of green and red touched the sky. A tearing sound was heard followed by more booms. Green cloudy projectiles burst forth and went in all directions as the hole to the fade opened in the sky spewing forth demons and rifts all across Thedas.

* * *

 **Celestial Valkyrie** , Was it that obvious?

 **5 Coloured Walker** , Funnily enough I completely forgot about Sister Petrice from DA2. Originally gave Patrice that name because of _How I Met Your Mother._ In the outline there was a running gag I had going where I would have Mercy go "Nobody Asked you Patrice!" but I cut it out and most of their relationship out because I couldn't make it fit right. Also, I have played the "The Champions of the Just" so I know Cole can get into people's head, Mercy however never did so it was kind of a thing where she had to be a little shocked at that. But she does know a few things from that path, just not a lot.


	34. World on Fire

I watched the flickering green light as the entirety of the encampment turned their gaze to the skies over the hills and mountains.

Frail and Brig were holding hands as they watched the verdant eruptions, shock, awe, and terror on their faces because they knew what this meant. The Divine was dead, thousands of people at the conclave were dead and there would be more to be dead soon enough.

Alon's shoulders were slumped. He was pale, his eyes wide trying to see everything and his lips moved. He was praying.

Jany was shaking as his gaze flickered to me and then the sky. Regret and fear in his eyes made me worried.

Yvette appeared indifferent, her eyes hard and posture straight but I could see she was gripping her staff tightly.

Bryant had his eyes closed and he was praying too.

Beltrude had fallen to her knees next to Bryant, clutching the leg of her Uncle.

The others were in similar states of disbelief but Emeric, he took the cake in reactions.

I met his gaze and he looked at me. I expected to find shock and anger but what I saw instead was a defeated man. His eyes looking like he was ready to give up and then he blinked and glared hard at me.

I met his glare head on, my eyes hardened and lips set into a frown. I wanted him to read in me, 'I told you. I tried to tell you. You wouldn't listen.' But I wasn't sure I got my point across.

Then the silence was broken by a gasp and I turned to see Jany pointing up at the Breach. I watched as a projectile looked to be headed this way. Was it going to hit us? Shit! I forgot there would be several rifts here. But where?

There was a mad dash around us people were ducking, screaming and crying. "Mercy!" Alon gripped my arm as he pulled me down. I hit the floor but kept my gaze up as I felt the fade practically ripple above the encampment but the projectile continued south bound in the hills. There was a collective sigh as we rose up.

"Sir! That was headed toward our South Camp!" Zazz informed Emeric who had also ducked down to the floor.

Another boom from the Breach reached us. Emeric looked up at it and then his gaze burned at me. He was moving toward me, a fierce determination in his eyes.

"Emeric, lay one hand on her and I will not hesitate to kill you." Frail stood in front of me, Brig hovered behind me.

"I'm not going to hurt her." Emeric said but Frail didn't step down. In fact I noticed a few people were hovering close by, angled toward Emeric, against him. The leader of the Blades noticed this, his eyes taking in those who appeared to be standing with me. He took a breath and spoke loud and clear, as much as he could anyway with the occasional ripple from the Breach.

"Yes. I was wrong. Yes. Apparently…" His looked at me. "Mercy _is_ a seer. But our South Camp was most likely hit by that. We don't even know what that was. But she does, as she is the only one here with that knowledge. I …" His face contorted and then he was lowering himself to his knees in front of me. "I request your forgiveness and your aid in protecting our brethren."

What?

All eyes were on me.

Another crackle in the distance and we all watched as another fade projectile headed into the hills but this one soared high above us and out into the ocean.

I was going to regret this but I glared at Emeric. "You are _not_ forgiven, but I will help however I can." Emeric glared right back at me but this was a truce.

"It is more than he deserves." Frail hissed but he sheathed his dagger and shortsword.

"Thank you." Emeric rose slowly and then he leaned toward me. "I never once thought to give you to Samson." Emeric whispered to me. My eyes widened and it was apparently the reaction he wanted because his glare dropped and he became resolute.

"Blades! I was wrong yes. But we cannot dwell on that. In the south, our brethren will no doubt call for aid. We must be ready to fight. Mercy has agreed to tell us what she knows of this unknown." There was a murmur. "Tell us. What is it that those… things were?"

"Those are projectiles from the Breach."

"A breach to what?"

"The Fade." The news was not taken well. "They land and they produces rifts that will spew out wisps, wraiths, shades, terrors and most importantly. Demons." The group of Blades around us became hushed.

"How do we stop the rifts?" Yvette stepped forward, her earlier indifference washed away and was replaced by a protective determination I had always admired in her, given the short time we have known each other. "How do we close them?"

" _We_ don't." That caused a bit of panic. Emeric had to hush everyone down so I could continue talking. "When the Breach stabilizes that's when it will stop raining chaos down on Thedas."

"All of Thedas?" Jany asked.

"We're not the only ones being hit by it. All of Fereldan, Orlais, even as far as the Free Marches, Nevarra…" I stopped talking as I noticed the defeat that was coming over them.

"What do you mean by stabilize? It's not going to close?"

"No."

"You can't tell us how to close them and now you're telling us the Breach won't close?! What use are you?" Zazz was yelling angrily. Emeric grabbed him and pulled him away.

"We are more informed than we would have been without her!" He roared and pushed him down to the ground. "Is there anything else?"

"That's all I can think of."

He nodded his thanks and then turned to the Blades. "Alon. Frail. Zazz. Bob. Yvette. I want you with me. We will head to the South Camp and determine the situation, sending any injured here. Mercy, you are our best healer. I want you to rest while you can and be ready for them. Prepare any healing potions and poultices we may need now. The others, no doubt we will have to surrender the South Camp to the chaos. Prepare extra cots, tents, and provisions for-" A loud horn was heard over the hills. "Now!"

Like a well-oiled machine the Blades prepared in perfect harmony, determination to survive. Alon left with Emeric and the others, riding off on horseback with urgency. I turned to Brig, Jany sidling up with me. We grabbed the largest pot normally used for stews and soups and filled it with water and put it on the fire pit to boil. I grabbed the bags of elfroot that we still had left from the Lodge and began preparing them to put in the pot. My fingers working to strip the stems from the leaves.

Cots were being built with wood that was chopped down. They were fast, I can tell you that. Tents were put up and as the large pot boiled, I dumped all the leaves into there with the necessary other herbs. I went to stir but Jany pulled me back.

"You get rest. I can stir this until it's time to ladle it out into potion bottles."

"How can I rest?" There was more resounding booms and crackles from the Breach every few minutes.

"You've been up for the past week, you have to rest." He pushed me into the healer's tent. "Sleep. I will wake you when the first injured comes that cannot be simply bandaged up."

With nothing else to do, I lay down in a cot fully clothed and attempted to rest.

"Mercy." I sat up to stare at Jany blearily.

"Sorry, I was… how long was I asleep?" I yawned. It felt like I had just lay down. "Must have been a few minutes."

"A few hours actually. I've got the health potions all set up but we've received a few injured that are going to need more than bandages." I nodded and noticed two blades I had never met before already settled into the cots.

One of them looked like a demon had tried to claw their way inside of them, flesh and bone showing. A hefty amount of poultice was already slathered on him. "We're going to need more poultice."

"I've already had Brig add more water to the pot, it's brewing now." Jany helped me clean the wound of the black ichor that clung to the leather and flesh, we ignored the screams from him as we cleaned his wound and then began packing poultice on it. I was worried he was losing too much blood so while Jany was slathering on the poultice I pushed my hands against him and began.

I saw _everything_. It was like an x-ray, no a CAT scan… these are the only ways I could describe it. I could see his nerves, could see the blood pumping inside of him. And when that familiar painting drawing feeling came over me, I barely had to think as the wound began to mend itself with little effort from me. And I do mean, _little_ effort.

"How did you…" Jany asked and I looked down at the wound but there wasn't any. Nothing. It was completely healed. There was a light faint scar where it had been, almost like the man had gotten the wound months ago.

"Maker bless…. How. Thank you. I thought I would die but you… you saved me." The blade was staring up at me in reverence. Stop looking at me like that! I only healed you. He got up, apparently he felt completely fine if a bit woozy. Jany shoved a healing potion into his hand. "I should go back and help the others."

"Mercy… how did you do that?"

"I don't know… I… It's never been that easy before. Or that powerful." I thought back to the scars on my back. Even then I had to struggle a bit.

There was a groan from the other cot and all thought fled as I went to help him. Again Jany was incredulous as my healing recovered him almost fully. He needed a healing potion to make up for the loss of blood though.

"Are you tired?" I shook my head at Jany. "Let's get you some lyrium just to be sure." He retrieved me a blue bottle of lyrium that I drank down. I felt energized but that pool of mana was barely touched.

Why was I suddenly so much better at healing? I didn't have time to think on that though as more injured came in and just as easily they left gob smacked, completely healed and back to battle they went. Each time Jany was amazed. It became a small routine. He'd quickly clean the wounds to lessen the chance of infection and have them drink a healing potion to recover the blood they lost and without waiting I would heal them. Jany tried to get me to drink more lyrium potion but I told him I'd only drink it when I felt dizzy.

Each and every blade began to notice a trend. I wasn't tiring, healing them without as much as a sweat. Well that's not true I was sweating. My hands shaking with each wound I saw firsthand. I wasn't squeamish but hearing the cries of those in pain, believing they would die takes a toll. Especially when my own cries came back to me, the feeling of my back being ripped open still fresh on my mind.

The air above the encampment rippled as another rift projectile soared overhead only this one was really close, I felt the fade so much easier. I didn't have to try to reach out for the fade for one brief moment. The ground shook when it hit and there was a loud roar in the distance. What had it hit?

"The Giants have awoken! Brig, Yenny, Toma come with me. We need to set up a perimeter of traps so they do not wander too close. Jany keep command of the camp." Bryant commanded as he took off with his party out into the forest.

I healed the brothers and sisters one after another, potions were doled out like candy and I finally began to feel dizzy. I think it had more to do with the constant smell of blood and death than actually being tired and deprived of mana. Nonetheless I drank a lyrium potion down and then ate a bit of bread Jany gave me. Cots were still being built and blankets were going to be sparse among the encampment once this was over.

If it was over. I didn't even know if the future Herald had survived.

What if… what if my meddling had compromised that? What if they had been stricter in who was let near the Divine?

Shit!

I smacked my head with the heel of my palm

Shit! Shit! _Shit!_

I didn't think of that! Did I doom all of us? I kneeled on the ground, my hands gripping at the dirt. Did I fuck up by trying to save people? I didn't know.

I felt the fade ripple around me.

"Mercy!"

I looked up. "Alon! Are you hurt?" I jumped up seeing him, he was covered in blood but looked to be standing fine if a bit exhausted.

"Mercy, thank… thank the maker you're okay." He touched my face and I fluttered my hands on him, magic checking him. He had a few cuts and scrapes but he was all together fine, I healed those anyway. He pressed his lips to mine desperately and I pulled him close. "Mercy… you have to heal him."

"Who? Is it… Frail?!" I pushed past Alon only to see Bob and Zazz carrying in Emeric with Karl and three other Blades I had never met before.

"Frail went to help the others." Bryant limped past me toward Emeric. "What happened?"

"He jumped in front of me. He… he took the blow of a demon that I didn't see heading for me." Alon explained. I moved slowly toward Emeric. The man who had made my life hell thus far. Who tortured me, tortured Alon by forcing him to injure me. My fists shook as I finally saw the damage.

A large gash in his side, blood was draining fast. Emeric was paler than I have ever seen him. His arm was twisted, banged up. There was black ichor poison seeping into his wound that Bob was trying to mop up and out of him. I met his gaze, it was cloudy and fading fast.

"Is- is there anything you can do for him?" Alon asked as I stood there.

Emeric was dying. They could all see that, I could see that. And I... I had the ability to save him.

I looked at my hands.

But I could let him die. I could let him die and any trouble I could ever have because of him wouldn't happen. Who is to say this truce is permanent? He could just as easily have me killed once this is over. The person who proved him wrong, who showed he made a mistake. Leaders were known to kill anyone who can show their faults. And Emeric… had made the biggest one with regard to me.

I pressed my hands to Emeric. I could see the damage, and I felt my magic pouring into him but stopped it.

No, I'm ending it here. I pulled away, looking up at Emeric. "I'm sorry. There isn't anything I could do." My voice shook with the lie but no one knew. No one suspected.

"I understand. I'm… glad you at least tried." Emeric said genuinely. He looked at me. "For what it's worth. I _am_ sorry." I watched the light disappear in Emeric's eyes. A hollow satisfaction filling me as he died.

"Mercy-" Alon called but was cut short. I looked up to him and there was a sword piercing right through him.

" _Finally_." Bryant yanked his sword out of Alon and pushed him down to the ground.

"What are you doing?!" I rushed to Alon only to feel hands grip me pulling me back.

"Not so fast." Zazz! The presence of a dagger at my throat, slicing it through me. I pulsed magic around me and he went flying. I pressed against my neck trying to stop the blood. I fell over, crawling toward Alon as I watched Bryant step to me.

"Emeric was a fool. He should have listened to you." Bryant's eyes glowed red and Zazz stepped up next to him. They both raised their swords up, the others that had carried Emeric in raised theirs as well, their eyes glittering crimson and they began to raze the encampment, fire spreading.

"These hills are taken, for the ELDER ONE!" was the last thing I heard.

* * *

I gasped into the dirt, crying out as I clenched at grass and gravel. My hands flew to my neck feeling for the cut I thought was there. "What the fuck!"

* * *

 **Ripper1337** , Funny enough, Mercy Challenging Emeric for leader was a possibility in the original outline that I dropped because while she IS powerful, she by no means can fight off a templar, let alone one who has been drinking red lyrium. As for whether she could kill him...well that is yet to be seen.

 **5 Coloured Walker** , Thanks for spotting the miss-capitalization. I don't always catch every grammatical or spelling error.

 **SleepiPanda** , Yes. Believe her, be in awe of her, or perhaps blame her for the rift. So many things. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

 **GreaterGoodIreland** , Well if you can't guess so far by this chapter why Emeric thought it was a good idea then you will next chapter, I assure you. Or perhaps the little hints I've left here and there aren't enough. Ah well, we are limited to Mercy's POV for most of this story.


	35. With a Smoking Sun

"What the fuck?!" I cried. I felt my throat. There was no cut, no slice that would kill me.

The Breach was still crackling. I scrambled up as I took in everything around me, a migraine building behind my eyes. "What the fuck…"

"Mercy!" That was Alon. How? I watched him _die_. How? "Mercy are you well? You're pale. Tell me are you injured?"

I looked around us. "No… no... I'm fine… I don't understand." He touched my face and then pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"Thank the maker you're okay." Alon said. "Mercy…you have to-"

"Heal him?" Déjà vu. This was déjà vu. Alon looked at me curiously. "Emeric… he's dying?

"Yes… how did you know?" I didn't wait. I pushed past him. I saw this already. I experienced it. There was Emeric, blood and black ichor in his wound. Bob desperately trying to clean it, or supposedly. I looked at him and then to Karl and the others. They were… traitors?

Bryant limped up to Emeric. "What happened?"

I tensed looking at him.

"He jumped in front of me. He… he took the blow of a demon that I didn't see heading for me." Alon explained, tossing me glances. "Is there anything you can do for him?"

I looked at Emeric head on. "Yes." I said confidently.

I don't know what happened but I was going on a hunch. If I let Emeric live would they reveal themselves? I touched Emeric, pushing magic into him. He was a lot more injured than I thought.

I kept eye contact. He looked at me amazed as his gash healed, and his arm, though painful, twisted back to how it should be. But I couldn't keep it up. I felt the familiar feeling of being tired. Had I over extended myself? I should have drank lyrium when Jany told me to!

"Mercy, you've done enough." Alon tried to pull me away as I swayed.

"Yes, she has." Zazz, I turned just in time to watch Alon die, his neck spurting in blood as he was betrayed.

"Alon!" NO! Not again!

"Bryant, you traitor…" Emeric rasped as I turned to watch a sword pulled out of his chest. All my work in healing him, taken out.

"You should have listened to her. But it's too late for that, fool." I turned to Bryant as he sneered at me.

Why… Why was this happening? I watched as he lifted his sword up with the others just as a sword pierced into me.

"These hills are taken, for the ELDER ONE!" was the last thing I heard.

* * *

I woke up against the gravel and grass, tears falling. Why was this happening? Any moment now, Alon was going to come up and tell me about Emeric and I would have to watch him die, again. Then I would die too.

I climbed up, feeling a migraine behind my eyes. Lyrium. I needed Lyrium. I rushed to the healer's tent and grabbed three bottles of Lyrium, drinking all three in quick succession, the glass shattering at my feet. I grabbed health potions too, slipping them into my belt.

"Mercy!" That was Alon.

Was it going to happen again?

No. I wasn't going to let it.

I charged forward and grabbed Alon's hand and ran straight for Emeric. I used my staff and sent a stone fist at each of the ones holding Emeric. Our leader falling to the ground with a grunt.

"Mercy what are you-" Alon tried to pull away from me, anger evident. I turned on him sharply.

"I had a vision. Bryant is a traitor. Watch my back while I save our leader from certain death." I spat out as Karl and Bob tried to stand up in the distance. I sent another stonefist their way, keeping them down. I pulled a barrier around me, Emeric and Alon, making sure no one from outside could get in.

"Mercy…" Emeric growled, his eyes suspicious.

"You have traitors amongst your rank, Emeric." I pushed my hands against his wounds, magic flowing out. Emeric looked pained as I healed him quickly and none so gently either. "They work for a Tevinter Magister, the same one who is responsible for the Breach." I twisted my magic toward his arm. "Now I have just sat and watched, in a vision, you and Alon be killed by Bryant and Zazz only to die myself. _Twice_."

Emeric looked shocked and grit his teeth as his arm snapped back into place. "Tell me I'm not making a mistake. Tell me you at least had some suspicions to their allegiance." I pushed magic into Emeric roughly, the lyrium powering my magic but my anger fueling my resolve.

"I did." he breathed out. "But I thought you were working with them."

"Well I'm not." I growled right at him, his skin and muscle lacing up with each stroke of magic I sent, putting the final touches in.

"Good to know." He grunted as the last bits of healing finished. I pulled away as he was fully healed, I still had energy left but only just barely.

"What are you going to do?" I asked as he stood to his full height, bringing his sword out. I handed him a health potion and he downed it.

"Kill the traitors. Alon, do you stand with me?" Emeric looked to his lieutenant. Alon was bewildered but he hardened as he nodded. I rose just as Bryant limped up but started when he saw Emeric standing.

"You're supposed to be injured or dead."

"And you're supposed to be my loyal third." Emeric called to him, stepping to him just as my barrier fell. I managed to stand up, Alon pushing a lyrium potion to my lips, forcing me to drink.

"Mercy, I know you're not ready for this… but we're going to need your help." Alon said, drawing me to be back to back with Emeric as Bob, Karl, Bryant, Zazz and the others surrounded us.

"I'm not good at combat."

"Well, better learn fast." Emeric said as he charged forward at Bryant and Karl. Alon went for Bob and and two others. I faced Zazz and the last one head on, who both smirked at me.

"A seer after all."

"I know you never liked me, but the elder one _will_ fail. Just like he did tonight." I toed around the two. "It's not too late to remain true to Emeric." I tried to convince him. Primarily because there was no way I could survive this.

"I was never true to Emeric." Zazz rushed to me, daggers slicing at me as I summoned a barrier. The other one was rogue as well. I pulsed a stone fist at him to knock him down but he dodged. Both of them closing in on me, the only thing protecting me was a flimsy barrier.

"You die tonight." Zazz broke through my barrier and I dodged out of the way, scrambling away.

I was fast.

He was faster.

They managed to pin me down, my arms held aloft. My staff kicked away.

"My mistress wanted you for Him but my reports were always disappointing. She told me to just kill you, that she would start fresh. Bit late for that, but I can still kill you." Zazz leaned forward, his eyes glittering from red lyrium use.

"If you kill me, I'll just wake up when-else."

"That's why I'm not going to kill you." Zazz pushed his knife to my vest and began sliding down, cutting it open.

NO!

My legs scrambled behind where he sat, trying to get him off me.

Magic… USE MAGIC!

I slammed my feet flat against the ground repeatedly, channeling as much primal magic as I could. The ground shook, tremored. My hands free as the one holding them fell over. Zazz seemed to disappear from on top of me. As I scrambled up, confused I looked up and Zazz was a few feet away, a staff in his hand.

"How did you-" Zazz tried to ask but three arrows landed in his throat. He gaped and then fell over.

"Fucking vint bastard mage…." Frail collapsed next to me. Blood seeping out of his arm as he pulled me into a hug.

"Frail!"

"And Brig." The small rogue pointed to Brig who was yanking his maul out of the last of the traitors.

"What happened?"

"He was using… I don't know. Magic to make you think whatever was happening to you." Frail explained. "He did the same thing to Alon and Emeric. I caught him but I was a bit busy fighting off actual demons."

Making people see things that weren't there? That didn't make sense.

"Entropy magic. It calls on nightmares, horrors. You see your worst fear." Yvette hobbled in, her robes torn, bloodied and covered in demonic ichor. I pushed magic into Frail, healing his arm then took care of Yvette, who thanked me. "The images an entropy mage produce are disrupted by Primal Magic. I must admit, you thought fast."

"I didn't know mages could channel magic through their feet." Frail looked at me.

"As far as I know, only elven mages of Rivain have been observed to do so." Yvette eyed me but moved forward. We followed after her where Emeric was kicking over the corpse of Bryant and Alon was stripping every bit of armor off Karl. "Oh, Karl." Yvette leaned down next to the now dead ex-templar.

"Mercy." Emeric stepped up to me.

"Emeric." I stood up as tall as I could, back straight.

"Thank you, for not letting them kill me." He put his fist to his chest in salute.

"I made that mistake once, already." There was a tense moment where I knew he knew what I meant. In one of my visions I let him die.

"There is still chaos all around. When will the breach stabilize?"

"Within three days." I said evenly and the looks I got were not encouraging.

"Then we have a long road ahead of us. We'll need all the help we can get." Emeric charged toward the encampment gates where the horn was. He took a breath and rang the signal for all the camps to know.

* * *

We had a total of ten rifts that had landed, from what we could tell anyway. Scouts were still out counting. We also determined the distance at which the demons could travel from the rifts. It was roughly 100 yards in radius around the rift. To me that was near football field length and that was a very wide radius to remain away from the rift before the demons began spewing out. It would make travel around the Storm Coast difficult.

We were mapping it out when the Breach gave another boom, the white burst of it stabilizing nearly blinded us had I not told everyone to not look the moment I saw the green streams of magic joining the swirling abyss in the distance.

I was relieved. The breach was stable that meant the Herald, whomever they were, survived. I hadn't fucked it up by trying to meddle, assuming my letter even got to the Divine or Leliana.

There was still a lot of cleanup left and aid was coming from the other camps. I spotted Alise healing minor wounds. Haveth was being told by Yvette what happened with Karl. Frail was pulling arrows out of the traitors. I was sitting in the dirt, my legs stretched before me as I rested. There wasn't any lyrium potions left so all three of us mages had to take turns healing while we regenerated our mana. Typically when I ran dry, Alise and Yvette had already begun healing again. I did have a much deeper pool of mana than them but using magic wore out the body as well.

"Get up." Emeric stood before me. I watched him a moment and then stood. Just like in my vision, the truce was over and he was going to kill me. Probably name me an abomination. Hopefully I wake up with enough energy to run away if that is the case.

Emeric pulled me into the center of the encampment and called everyone's attention to him. I wanted to sit back down, maybe drink some water. I began planning my escape.

"Brothers. Sisters. My family. These past few days have been difficult. We survived the chaos wrought on us by the Breach. We have fought off usurpers, traitors, demons and have survived strong and more bound to each other than we were before." There were cheers and clapping.

"Now… some of you have had the suspicions that I was ill." The crowd quieted down as Emeric became serious. I spotted Frail and Brig, both of them rolling their eyes. Alise was watching. Then I spotted Alon, standing dutifully to the right of Emeric. We made eye contact. I'll have to say goodbye to him.

"And I was. I was given lies by my third, Bryant. He was a traitor. I was given false advice from Karl and I ingested tainted Lyrium. I had no knowledge of the usurpers plan to feed me the lyrium but no doubt they did not think I would survive ingesting it, believing I would turn into…" Emeric looked at me.

"Horrors?" Frail provided.

"Yes. Monstrous creatures who were…." Emeric remained tight lipped. "I've destroyed all stores of that lyrium."

I felt a headache coming right behind my eyes. I rubbed the bridge of my nose. Come on Emeric hurry up get to the killing so I can escape.

"You believed me so ill that when a woman," Emeric looked at me again. "Washed on our very shores, you believed she was sent by the maker. Some even claimed she had the likeness of Andraste." There were a few horrified gasps in the crowd. Yeah here we go. They'll hate me now, then will come the stabbing and the pain and then I can die and wake up whenelse. "Some even claimed she was sent by the Maker, to save me from my _illness_." Alon swallowed hard at that.

"Yet she _claimed_ to know the future! She _claimed_ to be a seer." Emeric shouted out fiercely. "She _claimed_ that I was purchasing the tainted lyrium." Emeric looked to me. "She was not wrong."

Here we go- wait what. I looked at Emeric and the group around us was still.

"I was ill. Tricked by my own third and friends to purchase the tainted lyrium. And though I was strong enough to not become a horror. I was still under their sedition. And Mercy… _did_ save me from the lies. She uncovered their lies and saved me, at great cost to her." Emeric said, a small smile lifting up. He turned to the crowd.

"Whom amongst us has seen her divinity?!" Emeric yelled out not tearing his gaze from me. "Whom amongst us has seen her power?!" His gaze swept across the crowd. What was even happening?

"I have! And Brig!" Frail and Brig stepped up.

"So have I!" Alise stepped up.

"As well as myself." Yvette stepped up.

What was even happening?! Beltrude stepped up, then Jany and Haveth.

"I have seen her divinity and power as well." Alon stepped up and the crowd went silent. Out of all the blades, Alon was quite possibly the most devout of them all.

Emeric turned back to me. " _I_ have seen her divinity. The Maker has indeed blessed us for he has sent us his Seer!" Emeric raised my hand up into the air and there was cheering and clapping. I faced the crowd, and was pushed forward into it.

What the _fuck_ just happened?

* * *

 **Ripper1337** , YEAP. All the "what the fuck"s in that situation.

 **GreaterGoodIreland** , THANKS! Hopefully this chapter answers SOME of the questions.

 **5 Coloured Walker** , Mercy is learning a lot about consequences now.


	36. A Brief Interlude

**WARNING:** There is NSFW content in this chapter.

* * *

 _"Mercy." The familiar terse smile made me shiver. "For what it's worth, I am sorry." She always said that, always before she-_

 _"DADDY!" Sissy was crying, blood dripping down into the dirt. Her screams silent in the night. Warm hands pushed me into the house as I watched more blood and silent cries._

 _"Not so fast." Hands grabbed me, yanking me further into the house. Red eyes watching, laughing around me. I couldn't fight him, his hands in my shirt and then I was bleeding._

I managed to cover my mouth as the scream built up. My other hand splaying at my neck, feeling for the gash I still remember so vividly. It wasn't there. I sighed.

That was the third time this week. I almost wanted to blame Cole for reminding me of Sissy but I had met him three weeks ago.

Three weeks…the time at the lodge feels so much longer ago, what with Patrice then the Breach and then the entirety of cleaning up the encampment, the disposing of the bodies. The sky was black for days with the plumes of smoke. And it wasn't just the Blades that had perished. We found a mostly perished Dalish Clan, Clan Revassan, had been moving through the hills and we helped them, as well as a few wandering merchants that had managed to get too close to a rift.

"Oh good, you're up."

I grit my teeth as Silvie, my new tent-mate began serving me tea. With the South Camp overrun by the rift that had landed just outside of it, there had been a shift in the assignment of tents and who bunked with who. I had the misfortune- pleasure if you listen to what the silver haired elder woman said- of being paired with her.

It had been at her insistence that the women should be paired up, as it was inappropriate for men and women to be sharing quarters, according to her.

Not that she wasn't wrong. But I missed Alon. Even before this, Alon barely spent any time at the encampment much less with me. He was always out, visiting the other camps setting up their camps so some of the rank can be shifted there so the burden of housing them wasn't completely on the main camp. Or he was making trips to West Hill and purchasing supplies, or out scouting when he didn't have to.

 _Didn't have to._

That's how I knew he was avoiding me and not just being extraordinarily responsible.

Silvie handed me my cup and I got out of bed for her to make my cot. There wasn't much. I let Silvie do it anyway, she opened up to me how she missed working under a Lord. She had worked in Highever before the blight, had been the personal maid to Lady Cousland when Howe attacked. Aedan Cousland had perished when he sent Ser Gilmore to get the servants out, Silvie being one of those servants.

"Alon is back." Silvie said offhand as she took my cup once I finished it.

"He is?" I sat up, pulling off my nightshirt. I threw open my double chest of clothes only to find it empty. "Silvie…. Where are my clothes?"

"I'm having them laundered, the condition you keep them in was atrocious." Silvie didn't look the least bit guilty. I glowered. "But you do have the new armor you can wear."

I was sure my eyelid was visibly twitching at her.

"I will walk out in my small clothes before I wear that ridiculous thing." I threatened. Silvie, ever the proper woman who couldn't allow a "young lady," such as myself, go out there merely leveled me with her own gaze.

She knew I was bluffing.

"The armor was made to denote your new rank. You can't simply walk around in our colors. You are the Maker's Seer, you have to look it."

I groaned. This cult was so stupid.

Maker's Seer this, Maker's Seer that. They had decided that on their own. I wasn't refuting the Seer part because what I had experienced during the Breach was very much like a Seer. But I by all means have NOT been encouraging them thinking I was sent by the Maker. I even remember flat out saying "I was not sent by the Maker! It was an accident that I'm even here!"

Emeric merely saying the accident was by the Maker's design.

There was no winning.

Fucking _Andrastians._ I wonder if the Herald was having similar issues.

I fucking hope so.

"Fine. Help me into it." I snapped at Silvie. Her brown eyes were laughing at me.

This new armor was less than stellar. Well no actually it was quite nice. It looked similar to my old armor only less… scout-y. It was a robe made of leather, therefore it was slightly heavier. But one of the problems I had with it was that it was very, and I do mean very, white.

I wondered if I could compete against Sebastian Vael for whitest armor. Thankfully it wasn't shiny white like his but it was bright and it would make me an easy target out fighting. But of course, I'm not allowed to go out scouting or hunting anymore.

"Stupid Emeric." I grumble as Silvie pulls off the sheet I hung over the armor stand, as though hiding the new armor would absolve me from having to ever wear it.

It was a one piece robe that clasped in the front but had laces on the back like a corset. Like a freaking CORSET! Thankfully it didn't behave like one.

I pulled on the blue tunic that would still mark me as one of the Blades, pulled the under trousers on and Silvie slipped the sleeveless robe on me, the hood lined in striped fennec fox fur and she laced it up. Tightly.

It wasn't that bad of a robe. Yes it was white and yes that seems like a really superficial reason to hate it but it WOULD mark me as a target out on the field should I ever see more combat. I also have a problem with the materials. You see the white leather… it was halla leather. The blades had actually gone out of their way to kills three halla to make me this. I did _not_ want to run into any Dalish while wearing this.

Once it was on, I high tailed it out of the tent, Silvie shouting that she wasn't done. Something about my hair. I didn't care and frankly was a bit scared what she'd do with my hair. I clasped the vest-corset part by myself and grabbed my staff and its harness, slipping it on.

I scanned the encampment, there was twice as many tents as there used to be, and they were flush against each other, some bigger than others as long tents were used for the lower ranks to bunk together.

I couldn't spot Alon so I moved toward the garden. Frail was tending to his poisonous plants and I hovered over him. "Frail, have you seen Alon?" The small rogue turned to look at me and he sputtered and laughed. I punched his shoulder, "Yeah… laugh it up now."

"Oh… oh this is good. You must let me practice on you. You're too bright, oh Maker's Seer it's like I'm looking at the very visage of Andraste herself!" Frail cackled. I punched him a second time for good measure and reached for the nightshade plant, grabbing the slightly orange-red tomato and yanked the leaves off it and began eating it. Frail and others still don't believe me that the fruit is harmless, more tomatoes for me then.

I wonder if I could turn it into a sauce. I would kill for a pizza.

"Did you see Alon or not?"

"I saw Alon, he's speaking with Emeric in his cabin." Frail said between snorts. Frail was the only one that didn't change how he treated me, despite being one of the ones to insist I was sent by the maker. Well Brig also didn't change but the big guy and I always signed to each other.

"In the cabin?" I turned toward Emeric's cabin, another cabin was being built right next to it. Emeric had said they have relied too heavily on tents for too long and using resources recovered from the South Camp, he was having cabins built. Apparently there used to be more cabins originally but they had been destroyed when the Hills had been overrun by bandits at one point after the Fifth Blight, believing they could take advantage of the weak. "Alright thank you."

I left Frail to his cackling and marched right for the cabin, ignoring the looks of reverence from the other blades. Silvie stepped past me with a pleased smile as she carried a bag that suspiciously looked like my bag of clothes. No time for that. Alon was here.

I was about to knock when Emeric stepped out.

"Ah, Mercy! I see you're finally wearing the new robe." There was a twitch to his now overgrown beard that let me know he found it funny. "I'm sure Wilfred will be pleased."

"Did you know Silvie absconded with the rest of my clothes to force me into this?"

"Yes. Twas my idea." Emeric chuckled as he stepped away from the cabin. I could kick Emeric. Like right in the shins. Actually I could probably send a stonefist his way right now and no one would bat an eye, except I didn't want to as a familiar ginger stepped out of the cabin next.

"Alon!" I must have been beaming because he turned to me, his chin scruffy from him not shaving.

"Mercy…" Alon breathed, a smile lighting up his face as his eyes took me in. I flushed as they raked over me and settled on my bosom a second too long before meeting me, then he schooled his expression.

"Wait for me in the cabin you two, I have to check the horses are ready." Emeric called as he walked off.

"Horses?" I turned to Alon and he gestured into the cabin.

"Yes, you, Emeric and I will be heading to the North Camp, a mercenary group was spotted and it is our duty to ensure they understand-"

I commend myself. I waited until _after_ he had closed the door before pouncing. His back slamming against the door as I pushed myself against him, mouth on his and he groaned. His hands gripping my hips, sliding up this ridiculous hall leather robe and going right to grope my chest.

I moaned, audibly. Two weeks is such a long time when we spent three literal days back to back being next to each other. I missed his skin on mine, his tongue, his lips, his… _fingers_. I shuddered against him.

"Mercy." He moaned, hands gripping my hips this time and then he was pushing me away.

"Alon," I panted staring at him. I didn't even know I had been running my hands through his hair until I saw the mess I had made of it.

"Mercy, we cannot."

"That's what you said last time we were in here." I grinned cheekily, reminding him of our tryst on the floor. His eyes darkened and he looked to the spot that was ingrained in both of our memories.

"I know. But this time… I mean it. We cannot."

"Why not?" I felt a twist in my stomach. I had an idea.

"You… you are the Maker's seer." I _fucking_ knew it. "It would be inappropriate- no wrong for me to defile you."

"As if you haven't defiled me quite a bit already." I licked my lips and began inching toward him. He backed away, putting the table between us. I pursed my lips. "Alon I haven't changed." I slipped around the table and he moved to remain opposite me.

"But you have!"

"Exactly how have I changed? I'm still the same. Same flesh, same magic, same…feelings." I looked at him, pleading. He looked guilty.

"You have ascended, I imagine when you pass you will ascend to Andraste's side." I growled at his answer, and smacked the table.

"Fuck Andraste!"

"Mercy!" I climbed over the table and Alon moved backwards. I grinned as he bumped against Emeric's bed. He seemed to realize his folly as I advanced on him. His adam's apple bobbed and he held his hands out.

"Alon…" I slowed my movements down. "How do I look in my new robe?" I lifted the leather that came off the corset part and flared out like a skirt.

"Ethereal." Alon looked at me questioningly. Good, he didn't know where I was going with this.

"It's a bit tight, to be honest." I undid the first two clasps, revealing my loose tunic that displayed a fair bit of my cleavage. I watched Alon, his eyes on my bosom. "It's a bit hot too." I undid the laces of my tunic and it fell open, displaying my bare chest with no breast band keeping it in place.

"Mercy…" He groaned, his eyes flicking up to meet my gaze.

"Now… do you want me?" I stepped up to him and he swallowed hard.

"Yes." He reached for me, pulling me into a hot kiss, need driving it, but I pulled away. His hands were already pulling my tunic open more, but I swatted his hands away.

"Good. But you need to be punished." I grinned and lowered myself in front of him.

"Mercy…Emeric could be here any moment." Alon whispered harshly as I pulled my gloves off and undid his trouser laces.

"Then I better be fast." I smiled as I pulled his arousal out, admiring it. I pumped my fingers around his length, getting him full at attention before pushing his foreskin back and swirling my tongue around the head. I paid particular attention to his cock slit, my lips folded over my teeth as I swallowed his length slowly. I hollowed my cheeks and looked up to watch Alon as I fluttered my tongue massaging as I sucked.

He was gritting his teeth and flicking his gaze toward the door anxiously but his arousal never waned. He found this as exciting as I did. The chance of being caught like this. I felt my thighs become slick as I pulled more of Alon in, toward my throat. Not fully, because I couldn't deep throat, not yet anyway.

"Mercy…" he groaned, his fingers in my hair as he tried to halt the small thrust his hips gave against me. I hummed, and he grunted, his other hand stuffed into his mouth as he screwed his eyes shut. _Yes. Yes._ I used my hands on his sack, paying them attention, massaging them delicately and finding the base of his cock. I stroked it in time with my bobbing.

"Maker's breath…" He groaned as he thrust against my mouth and I felt my throat strain, tears pricking my eyes but I kept going.

How long had it been? Two minutes? Five? I lost count as I slurped around Alon, my fingers working the rest of his shaft and pressing at the base harder and harder. My tongue edged along the rim of his head and then pressed flat against his slit. "I'm going to…" I met his gaze, not pulling away and he groaned, coming into my mouth. As I felt the first splashes I pulled back away and sucked and swallowed, releasing Alon with a pop of my lips.

I grinned, satisfied with myself until Alon was yanking me up, his lips on me hard and then his mouth was on my breasts, fingers disappearing into my trousers and slipping inside of me. I gasped as he worked me expertly, knowing just how to time it and where to press. I didn't last long, my legs clenching around his fingers as I came. "Alon…" I moaned.

We didn't know when Emeric was going to walk in so we were righting ourselves immediately. I pushed my tunic back into place, this time properly lacing it closed and then clasped the robe closed. Alon was fixing his hair, already tucked in when I pushed against him to kiss but he stepped back and away.

"What?"

"Mercy… that will be the last time. I cannot monopolize your attention and affection. You are the Maker's seer. It would be wrong of me to sway you toward my own carnal desires." Alon said it out in one breath and sighed.

My gloved fist lit up with lightning. God damn, Andrastians!

The door opened and Emeric walked in. A knowing look passed as he looked between Alon and me but then he frowned when he saw my fist. His brows furrowed. I let go of the fade and sighed.

"Has Alon told you?" Emeric went back to business.

"Told me what?" I ground out as Alon walked toward Emeric.

"We ride to the North Camp, there is a mercenary group that I want to make very clear to them that they are not to linger." Emeric said as he pulled a small bag over his shoulder and pulled something out of it. "We'll also be stopping at the nearby merchant."

"Why am I going?"

"I thought you might have some… knowledge on the mercenary group. Have you seen visions of any sort?" Emeric handed me a small leather bag and I looked at it and then shook it. What…a coin purse?! I grinned.

"Uhh… no. But mercenaries." I squinted as I thought about it. Mercenaries in the Storm Coast. There was only the Blades of course but then there was also. "OH!" I grinned widely. "What did they look like?"

"The report says they look like a mismatched group."

"Yes but was there anyone note-worthy in the group?" I leaned forward, eyes wide and a smile spreading. Was it?

"A Qunari…"

 _Jackpot!_

* * *

 **GreaterGoodIreland** , That's not all for her abilities. It would have been boring if I revealed all of it at once but that was the start. Slowly more and more will be revealed!

 **beckycaresalot** , Thanks for reading! I'm glad it's taking a different spin on the whole OC in Thedas story. it's what I had set out on.

 **5 Coloured Walker** , I'd like to say your assessment is correct only that it is plot armor in a sense but not quite. Further along you'll see why it isn't.

 **Atsirk Enoh** , Haha. It was tempting to have a scene where Mercy did that. But she very much doesn't want to be worshiped.


	37. When Nugs Fly

"Bull's Chargers!" I laughed into the forest air, my hands raised above my head and then Tenebri shifted underneath me and I yelped grabbing the reins to steer her back to remaining still. I wasn't very good on a horse, on any horse actually. And while I had ridden for most of the day on her, I wasn't any more confident on her than when I started. If anything I was more terrified of her.

"Bull's Chargers?" Emeric rode to the right side of me. "I have heard of them. Though not of where their allegiance lies. Are they Andrastian?"

I snorted. "Not bloody likely. The leader, The Iron Bull is Tal-Vashoth." Better to keep his being a spy a secret. No need to make Emeric worry. "Or… so I've seen. His lieutenant is an ex-Tevinter soldier-" At Emeric's narrowed eyes I realized I probably should have omitted that. "Oh don't worry about that. No trouble from the Vints with him. I mean… he doesn't like the vints either."

"Why would an ex-Tevinter be following a Qunari savage?" Alon's horse had a lead on mine, keeping my horse from going off the path. It happened more than once. Twice by my hand. Okay actually four times.

"Wow, Alon… wow. That's incredibly prejudice of you." I glared at the ginger. Did they have the term racist?

"It is. Especially as according to the Chantry when all races have converted to Andrastian then the Maker will turn his sights back to us." Emeric preached then took a swig of water, or I hope it was water. I had done a healing check on all of the blades and I found a very disturbing commonality. The sheer alcohol damage to their liver. I immediately yelled at them to either have tea or water more often. So far few have listened to me.

I looked up at the hills where the Breach still was, lightning from the eternal storm at its center flashing in the distance. But it wasn't spewing demons out anymore which was a relief.

"I remember hearing of a Qunari who killed an entire farmhold with his bare hands, along with the children in Lothering during the blight. They are savage." Alon continued, looking forward.

"Qunari, in Lothering?" I squinted in thought. You could have seen the metaphorical light bulb go off. "Oh! That was Sten! He was one of the Hero of Fereldan's companions. He went into a blind rage, which he regretted. But it was because he could not find his Asala. That's Qunlat for soul. I think any soldier under the Qun's weapon is referred to as Asala and if they return without it they would be claimed deserter and be killed. And uh…" I shrunk under both of their gazes.

"You know quite a bit about Qunari." Alon looked at me hard.

"She is well informed. Though, where she has gained such insight to the Qun is suspicious, nonetheless she is the Maker's Seer." I rolled my eyes.

"I was not questioning-"

"I know. But it needed to be said." Emeric hummed and concentrated on leading us, the map open in his lap. What would have taken a one day trip before the Breach now takes two because of all the detours we had to take. Rifts were everywhere. "How about you sing another one of your songs?"

"Sing? Here….where we are essentially sitting ducks? So people can hear us and be able to pinpoint our location?" I looked at Emeric questioningly. He would have already known that. "You just want to keep me quiet?"

"Sharp as ever, Mercy." He snickered and pulled ahead to examine the path. It was just Alon and me next to each other now. Our horses taking it slow on the uphill path that would wind around one of the rifts nearby. It was silent, the only sounds being that of the horses and the forests.

I looked at Alon and frowned. "Are we not even going to discuss this?" I questioned softly. I wanted to reach for his hand. Alon looked to me, his brows furrowed a troubled look about him.

"No." Was his simple reply.

"Fucking coward." I spat at him, grabbed the reigns and meant to ride the horse toward Emeric but what ended up happening was me going so off course that they both ended up having to dismount their horse to get me back on path. Embarrassing if I hadn't found a rare find of bush of embrium that I immediately cut and collected into my pack. Yeah, totally what I meant to do.

We stopped off at the lodge when the sun began setting. It felt a bit odd being back here with Alon and Emeric but neither showed any interest. It was just for the night. I set the wards, in the order Yvette had taught me.

After a small dinner of cured ram meat and winter berries, we all turned in. Emeric had the big bedroom, I had the one adjacent to that and Alon the one across from me. I was reading the book Yvette had given me to study from, on magical theory, when there was a knock on my door. Was it Alon?

It was not. It was Emeric.

"Care to join me for a drink?"

"I thought I told you no ale?" I gave him a pointed look but decided to join him anyway. We both went downstairs to the main hall. I poured the ale, still worried there might be magebane in any of my drinks, while Emeric refreshed the fire and then set down a small box.

"You looked pensive the entire way here. I can only assume you and Alon are…" He tilted his head and opened the box, pulling a pipe out. Now I was interested.

"He says it's because I'm the Maker's Seer and that I'm holy and blah blah blah nonsense. It's not like I was a virgin before, definitely not now." I sipped at the ale, watching Emeric pack some dried herbs into his pipe. "What are you smoking?"

Granted I was still wary of Emeric but we had come to a mutual understanding these past few weeks. He won't make advances like he used to and I'd stop being insufferable. His words, not mine.

"Helps with the withdrawal. It's elfroot, nettles and blood lotus." He packed it in tight.

That's right. Emeric still is a Templar, or was. He's probably suffering from a pretty bad case of lyrium withdrawal. Good. _Suffer_ , I smiled grimly. He lit the pipe and I wrinkled my nose at the smell. "That's rancid." I coughed, waving the air.

"Silvie says the same, says I'm to smoke it when she leaves for the night." Emeric coughed and sipped his ale.

"Silvie…wait. What?!" Emeric raised his brows. "You and Silvie?!" He nodded as he took a deep pull from the pipe. "Fuck that's gross thinking about."

Emeric let out a bark of laughter. "As if having to lay in bed listening to your second have his way with a woman on his cabin floor is any better." Emeric wheezed, a twinkle in his eye.

"You… you were awake?" My cheeks burned as he nodded and I buried my head in my arms. "Uuugggghh. That's like the time my father walked in on me with Jimmy Crespo!"

"I am honored to be compared to your father."

"Not like that!" I bristled at him, Emeric chortling as smoke permeating around us. There was a moment of silence. "So you and Silvie. Is that why she wanted to be my tent-mate?"

Emeric took a deep pull of his pipe and then tapped it against the box, emptying it. "Yes and no. She knew at one point I had considered bedding you." I leaned away slightly disgusted. "Until Alon showed his interest quite clearly. I thought I might tease you both though. I have not seen that boy become so flustered over anything let alone a woman."

"Good to know you were having a laugh." I ground out.

"I did. Although if he is letting your status as our chosen stop him, I have to wonder if you would consider my offer." His eyes darkened and leaned to me, placing his hand on mine.

"You're disgusting." I deadpanned and stood up.

"I thought as much. But if you do ever change your mind." He chortled as I moved away from him.

"When nugs can fly!" I snorted and went up the stairs, paused and went down to see him drinking ale. "Stop drinking ale. I didn't save you from certain death for you to die of liver damage." Emeric grumbled but stoppered the ale. I narrowed my eyes as I went to bed. _You'll die by the Herald's hands._

* * *

We reached our destination by noon the next day. The sun was out and shining and I bemoaned having to be on this errand. I could be out practicing magic with Alise.

But then again, The Iron Bull.

The Iron- _FUCKING_ -Bull.

It's going to be _so_ worth it.

We were on a cliff looking down and out into their camp where they were. The Bull's Chargers with The Iron Bull sitting and drinking in the center of it. I couldn't really spot anyone else, but Bull was kind of hard to miss.

He was massive! I giggled gleefully.

"Why are you so cheerful?" Emeric turned to me.

"It's the first Qunari I'll ever get to meet face to face." I grinned widely and bounced on my feet from left to right. "I've always wanted to meet one."

"You shouldn't. They are dangerous, savage and wish to invade southern Thedas." Alon looked to me incredulously. "Surely you have heard of what happened in Kirkwall?"

"Er…yes." I shifted uncomfortably as he still told me the carnage that had befallen the nobles by the Qunari and the Arishok until the Champion slayed him in battle. I rolled my eyes at Alon, as Emeric made some motions with his hands. My eyes following his line of sight. On the other side was a few specks that I could barely make out but the colors were obvious. Our colors. "What are they doing there?"

"Should our words be taken unfavorably, they will be our reinforcements." Emeric said and then pulled his pack closer and he rummaged around pulling a few potions out and tying them to his belt. He pushed one bottle of lyrium to me and three health potions, which I hastily set into my belt.

"Wait, what? No no. We can't just kill them."

This didn't happen in the game!

"And why not? If they do not respect that these are our hills, then we will have to eliminate them. I will first try to engage them civilly of course." Emeric then pulled out his map. "We do not even know why they are here. I am uncomfortable with an ex-Tevinter being in these hills, regardless if he is following under the command of a Qunari."

Shit. _Shit._ Think fast!

"Uh… well we… we can always ask them?" It's not that I had any doubt we could kill them, it's that I really didn't want to have to kill them. It would be a massacre, I would be dead or taken prisoners if they won. Plus, that's the Iron Bull! He's going to be needed to help the Herald!

Ah!

I may have neglected to tell the Blades of who stabilized the Breach. Well I don't really know myself either I just know someone did, not who or what they are. News was getting to us slow but the traders have been talking about the Inquisition. I chewed my bottom lip as Emeric and Alon went into the forest to approach from the beach.

"Mercy?"

Fuck.

I followed after them, my staff pulled forward.

Okay. Maybe I can jump the boat before Emeric starts talking? Maybe I can ask him, nicely to reveal his intentions. I could just jump right in and say what the intentions are but that would put me on the Qun's radar if I revealed too much. And being on the Qun's radar about information seemed like a really bad idea, no matter how you look at it.

However if I lied, Bull would know. Ben Hassrath training and all that would completely see right through any lie I attempted.

Crap this was seeming like a worse and worse idea the closer we got to the Charger's camp.

"Okay. I may know why they are here." I whispered harshly to Emeric and Alon who both turned to me. "But you're not going to like it…"

"You choose now to reveal this to us?" Emeric glowered at me.

"Yes. Sorry… I just got a vision." I fumbled with my staff. Yes, use the visions! "They… were sent to kill some Tevinters that have been spotted on the Coast." Would that endear them to the Chargers?

"Tevinters?" Alon stepped closer to me. "Are you certain?"

"Well, if watching them cut the throats of Tevinters is any indication, then yes." I looked down with a frown.

"Then they may be our allies. However they still need to know they mustn't linger, even if we have similar purposes." The Blades really didn't like Tevinters. After Dugan was killed by them, and then Zazz and Bryant revealed to be working for one… Tevinters haven't been seen favorably. I let out a small breath as Emeric sheathed his sword. "We will approach neutrally."

"Are you certain? They may be killing vints but they could be paid to do so. It may not reflect-" Alon tried but Emeric held his hand out.

"We shall trust our seer on this." Emeric moved forward

Fuck, I really hope this ends well.

"However, the others will still attack if I do not send them a signal, so I hope you can speak quickly Mercy."

What?! "What?" I tripped after Emeric.

"You will speak to them, as you know much more about Qunari than I. I do not wish to disrespect their leader. So if I do, I want you to take over." Oh, that… made a bit of sense. "Ready?"

No. "Yes." And we exited the forest.

I could see the Chargers now, but I was focused on Bull. He didn't seem fazed by our sudden presence. He probably knew we were here since the cliff, probably even knows the reinforcements were in place too. Would the Qun know about the Blades of Hessarian? Well if they don't, they are about to.

I watched Bull as more and more of his details came into view. He was big, _big._ His horns were massive, his single uninjured eye swiveled to take us in. What was he seeing with his trained eye? His other eye was covered in a leather eyepatch, not the metal one I remember from the game. His chest was mostly bare, I could see the leather harness and the crisscrossed scars over his grey skin. He was scruffy but only just with his stubble coming in. I could see the black and faded gold stripes of his large pants and the support brace on his leg. At his side rest a large, _huge_ axe that I knew was the Bull's Edge.

I noticed Bull turn to someone and say something, then I noticed the Chargers were standing up. Was that Krem? I refrained from giggling as I watched Cremisius cross his arms and stand by the Bull, his eyes guarded. The other Chargers sat down at one word from Bull, I didn't catch it.

Emeric stepped forward, one hand raised in greeting and peace. That's when Bull stood up and holyfuck he's tall. He had a foot, maybe more over me. I wasn't the only one that faltered. Emeric and Alon had to take a pause as they adjusted their eyes up. Then Bull pulled up his axe, resting it along his shoulders.

Way to _intimidate_ us, Bull.

"Greetings. I understand you are Iron Bull-"

" _The_ Iron Bull." I corrected Emeric, and then flushed when Bull's gaze flicked to me. _Crap_! Stop looking at me. I looked down, shrinking slightly. Emeric looked sideways to me but nodded his thanks.

"Apologies. The Iron Bull, and this is your mercenary band. I am Emeric, the leader of the Blades of Hessarian." Emeric gestured back. "This is my second and third. We control the hills of this Coast. My scouts spotted you and informed me you were here. We come in peace, we only wish to know your intentions on the coast and how long you intend to remain."

"Well met," Bull said.

 _Hello,_ Freddie Prinze Jr. I shifted, feeling the excitement bubble up in me. It's Bull, it is The Iron Bull! I noticed Bull wasn't looking at me anymore though, instead Krem was. Actually I noticed the other Chargers were watching intently. My eyes taking them in. There was Dalish, I inwardly cringed remembering the leather of my robe. I spotted Skinner, Stitches, Grim. Where was Rocky? Oh, oh there he was, I forgot how short dwarves are.

My focus turned back to Bull, wary of Krem who was watching me. You should be watching Alon, who was practically glaring daggers at him.

Bull tilted his head, his horns making the action that more obvious. "You won't have to worry about us. We're just passing through." There was a low chuckle beneath that, sending a thrill of excitement up my spine. That chuckle! Bull grinned. "I knew the hills were controlled by a company, wasn't sure who. I'm actually glad you approached us first. Although, could you get your archers to back down. Making my boys a bit twitchy."

His boys.

 _His boys._

Bull you are _so_ adorable. I suppressed a smile.

Emeric stared up at Bull for a full minute, sizing him up again. Then Emeric turned to me, to make sure. I nodded and he nodded back at me. He turned toward the hills, raised his open palm up. I watched as a near dozen blue and beige armored archers rose and retreated back into the forests. Exactly how many Blades were at the North Camp?

"Thanks. Well then, now that the tension is down." Bull rested his axe back against his seat. I watched Krem drop his crossed arms and look a tad more relaxed instead of on guard. No doubt their guards weren't completely down. "Come have a drink. I'll let you in on why we're here, ease your concerns, leader to leader."

Emeric looked amused but he stepped up, somewhat relaxed.

This is not how I imagined this going but I was _very glad_ it was.

Krem stepped up and held his gauntlet covered hand out. "Cremisius Aclassi." I went to shake his hand but he raised my hand and placed a kiss on my gloved knuckles and sent me a wink.

An honest to the Maker, _girlish_ giggle slipped out of me at that. Krem smiled brilliantly at the sound. Oh god! Why does Krem have such a dazzling smile?! I felt my cheeks flush. And then Alon stepped up, practically pressed close to me. Krem's eyes hardened somewhat as he took him in.

"Ah… sorry. I'm Mercy Byrde." I fumbled. I watched as Alon and Krem shook hands, it was tense.

"Alon. Well met."

"Well met." Krem returned the greeting. "So you're the second to the Blades of Hessarian, what's that like?" Krem directed the question at me.

I snorted and sputtered, and had to cover my mouth as Alon stilled, shocked.

"No. No… I'm not." I snickered. " _I'm_ not the second. That's Alon." I pointed to the ginger next to me and stepped away. I caught Emeric and Bull sitting off to the side, a flagron of some kind between them. What the?

"Oh sorry, I just assumed. Emeric turned to _her_ for counsel, after all."

 _Ouch_ , would you like some elfroot for that burn, Alon?

"I'm the second." Alon bristled. "Mercy however had a bit of _foresight_ on this exchange, so Emeric turned to her as she is more knowledgeable about you and _your people_." Alon gritted out. Yeah the prejudice was flowing right out.

"Ah, so you know I'm ex-Tevinter then? Good makes this easy." Krem leaned forward. "I don't exactly hold any loyalties to my old countrymen. So you've got nothing to worry about."

"How do we know you're not some blood mage?" Alon questioned tensely. I jabbed Alon.

"Alon, that was rude. Besides If he was, I would know." I turned back to Krem and gave an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry for him. He's… prejudiced obviously. We lost one of our own to Tevinter mages a few months back." I glared at Alon who sent me a look.

"You did?" Krem seemed interested now. He turned to The Iron Bull. "Hey Chief, these guys fought off some Tevinters recently."

"Oh?" Bull quirked an eyebrow and turned in his seat to appear more open. "And how did that go?" He lifted his goblet up.

"Not well. We lost one of our own to them. But we gained a very valued member in turn." Emeric raised his own goblet to me, to which I glared at the goblet and he drank from it with a smirk.

"And who might you be?" Bull directed his question to me, his gaze on me. I must have jolted because he laughed. "No need to be scared, I'm not going to eat you. Not unless you want me to." There was that low chuckle again and his voice lowered. I must have flushed because Bull was now appraising me openly, his eye raking up and down my form, only to emit an appreciative hum as he drank again.

I heard Alon growl next me and watched as Emeric snickered into his drink.

 _Oh boy_.

* * *

 **Ripper1337** , You know, I feel like that is probably exactly how Mercy would start using blood magic. She just cuts herself accidentally and calls forth magic using her own lifeforce. But I think given the nature of her abilities it may do some serious harm to her rather than be a boon.

 **GreaterGoodIreland** , Oh yes. We tackled Bull very differently. There will also be more Iron Bull next chapter.

 **jedielfsorcerer** , Yes, she's similar to a Spirit Healer, without needing to contact a spirit of course. But she also has Rock and Primal magic, which is from Dragon Age Origins and Dragon Age 2. I missed those two schools of magics in DAI and decided to throw them into Mercy's repertoire of spells. And She indeed knows Storm. but she's really bad at fire and ice. She's limited to runes for fire and just fade step. I, at one point, wanted to give her Entropy too but dropped that. I think Rock, primal, Storm, and Spirit Healing are more than enough. Plus her whole being able to cast magic with her feet. She's already turning out to be TOO special for my taste but thankfully there are drawbacks! You'll see those later.

 **5 Coloured Walker** , THANKS! I spent a bit more time to make that sex scene fade out a little easier. Acknowledge it happened but say nothing else, leave it to the imagination!

 **NobleD93** , OOOH. I'm glad you kept coming back. I was a bit worried the slow build toward the game would throw people off, make them uninterested but it's coming along and I'm glad you like it now, thanks to Mercy. I tried to make her easy to relate to and connect with. Sometimes it's difficult because its hard to imagine being in that situation and how you'd react naturally. It's a bit of a conundrum. Like at one point, you can have your OC/MS/SI go "LOOK SEE I TOLD YOU!" but then it was a catastrophe the Breach happened and you realize thousands of people just died and in that situation I think the character would be more worried about the danger or sad about the loss of life before they gloat about being right. It's those kinds of emotions I put in because Thedas is not a nice place and Mercy has come to learn that. People die, people get hurt, and things are rough but also because she's a big girl she does what she has to, to survive. ( Sorry for rambling, here's a spoiler: Mercy is going to try to save those scouts, don't you worry!)


	38. Charging Blades

I want to make it perfectly clear, my intention was _not_ to make Alon jealous. I was never the type of person to go out of their way to make a significant other jealous if they weren't paying attention me. I was perfectly okay with my boyfriends and girlfriends having a life outside of me, hanging out with whomever they wanted. I was not, however, okay if they obviously wanted to be with me but were letting outside forces or thoughts on what would people think control them. Nonetheless, jealousy was not my goal but it was very clear to me that Alon was jealous of the attention Krem was throwing my way.

And I found it _hilarious_. Because there was no way I would just give up on Alon that fast. Nor was there ever any danger I would jump right into bed with Krem. Not that I haven't already imagined what that'd be like.

What?

A girl can imagine things that likely won't happen. Likely… maybe. Unless Alon isn't oppose to a threesome. I grinned to myself as I walked.

Either way, Alon had said it was the last time. Was he referring to just the sex? He did make a big deal out of his _carnal desires_ , I can only assume he just meant sex. Does that mean our relationship does not constitute sex? If so, I'd need to know who was off limits and who wasn't because I cannot do that kind of relationship. Not that there wasn't anything wrong with that kind of relationship. I wonder if Alon would be okay with me having a steady partner to take care of those needs, then our relationship could continue.

But there it is. Relationship. Were we in one? We never did define what _we_ were. Did they do things differently on Thedas? Surely they had casual sex partners, if what I remember from the game is correct. Unless it's not really a thing in Southern Thedas.

Damn, why can't Fereldan be a bit more like Antiva? I hated worrying about this kind of stuff on Earth and I hate it here too.

Either way, Alon was currently acting as a buffer between Krem and me. He was making sure I was nowhere near the vint. There wasn't much he could do about Iron Bull getting near me.

Not that the Ben-Hassrath ever tried to past the initial comment. He was more concerned with talking about the rifts in the area and how to avoid them if possible.

"If you see these rocks with this green and red insignia on them, you'll know there is a rift. Our scouts have been facing them outward 100 yards around the rifts, so it is easier to distinguish where the rifts areas are." Emeric was really forth coming with the information. I think it was because the less vints on our hills, the better and if Bull and his Chargers were going to do that, then all the more reason to give them aid, including how to spot a rift area.

"One hundred yards…" Bull whistled lowly. "How'd you figure that out?"

"Through trial and error. We got the initial idea from Mercy, she has tremendous _foresight_." Emeric smirked using the same term Alon had.

I don't know why it was decided they wouldn't reveal what I was, but I was glad they hadn't. Really don't need the Qun on my case believing I could actually predict the future. Images of Ketojan bound and mouth stitched shut, made me shudder.

"Foresight, huh?" Well, of course he's going to take note of that term when it's used with regard to a seemingly ridiculously armored mage.

We had walked along the shore a bit and were coming up on the Charger's second camp. Our horses had been left with the archers Emeric had dismissed. We could return to the North Camp easily enough from here.

"Chief!" An elf I didn't recognize was running up. "We've spotted some Tevinters, they aren't alone." The way he said that was chilling. Were there hostages? Victims? What?

Iron Bull gave a low growl. He wasn't pleased that much I could tell. "How far out? How many?" He immediately grilled the elf for the location. Apparently there was a sizable amount of Tevinter gladiators, mages, and archers along with cages of what appeared to be slaves.

"My men are just off the coast. I can hail them down for assistance." Emeric offered.

"Can you get the archers to the perimeter in time, for back up?" Bull asked Emeric seriously.

"I can do you one better." Emeric grinned wickedly.

Alon and I looked at each other with smirks while the Chargers peered at us curiously.

* * *

We stepped into the forest where the Tevinters were. Iron Bull was under cover by a boulder with Emeric. Alon, Krem, Stitches and I were yards away, crouching in the dirt.

"Mercy, you're to stay here." Alon immediately said the moment we got the signal everyone was in place.

"Stupid plan. I can help." I whispered.

"Emeric's orders." Alon pressed to me. "If we need extra magic, then you can come in, but only at my signal. Otherwise you'll be healing afterwards."

"Aww, let her fight with us." Krem said on my account.

"No." Alon stated.

"I'm a healer, so it won't just be up to her." Stitches said, slightly offended but I gave him an apologetic smile.

"It's not a matter of that. She's… too important to be injured in a scuffle like this." Alon looked at me meaningfully. The unspoken _with Tevinters around_ made me deflate. We still didn't know why they had been searching for me and according to Emeric, Samson had long left the Coast by the time the betrayal was uncovered. "And she's not quite trained for combat so she is more likely to set herself on fire than anything."

I glowered. "You're an asshole." He didn't have to add that part. Now Krem and Stitches were looking at me like I was incompetent. Which, and I hate having to admit this, I was incompetent.

"Just be a _good girl_ and perhaps there will be a _reward_ later." Alon said saucily. I could see Krem's brows raise. My mouth gaped open.

I almost sputtered when he gave me a peck on the lips. My cheeks inflamed at the public display of affection.

Alon gave the signal to the Archers, hidden in the trees above us. Most of the North Camp were City Elves from Denerim, Halamshiral, and West Hill, defecting to the forests when they had enough of the abuse and scared off by the neighboring Avvar tribes and welcomed right into the arms of the Blades of Hessarian. It was a good life and they were treated as equals, as far as I've seen.

All at once the opposite side of the clearing was littered in arrows with little pouches of exploding smoke bombs that Rocky had created on the fly. And stealthily, Blades and Chargers snuck up behind the Tevinter Mages, as their attention was drawn toward the smoke. They expected the attack to come from there it seemed. They assumed we'd use the smoke as cover. It was a maneuver I saw once with the Blades.

Bull was especially silent considering he was big, but then again he's a spy. He squared off behind a brute. Emeric coming up behind a gladiator and Alon close behind him. Krem and Stitches snuck up behind a mage. I watched Dalish stand by the perimeter by me, her _bow_ glowing as she prepared a fireball. Rocky came up beside me, his part helping the archers finished. Skinner I couldn't spot, nor Grim for that matter.

There were a few blades I didn't know mixed in as well between the Chargers. They were all mostly rogues with shortswords or short bows.

Bull hefted his Edge up and decimated the Brute with a resounding crunch of bone collapsing under the metal. Those close to a target took theirs out in a matter of quick sword stabs, swipes and plunges and then the fight was on. Dalish casting projectiles, shields and barriers to support the melee fighters.

Arrows flung in the air and the sound of metal against bone could not be mistaken. That's when I saw Skinner. She was fast, some kind of enchantment on her boots let her speed through with flips as she chained her attacks. A smile spread across her face as she sunk her daggers into Tevinter fighters. Blood was physically splashed in the air, that's how fast she moved.

Then Grim showed up, his shield and mace combination bashing the heads of any who got in his way. He was almost as powerful as Iron Bull, easily taking down enemies, their helms no match for the bludgeon.

My eyes scanned the battlefield. I found Emeric and Alon back to back, ducking and swinging attacks, helping each other with their shields as they took out four Tevinters one by one. _Damn._ That's impressive.

Rocky sneaked off and I watched as he made his way through the chaos and placed traps here and there, using his stature to sneak around the enemies and catch their robes on fire.

I took measure of the carts filled with cowering people. They were most likely slaves. Then I noticed an unengaged Tevinter mage, he pulled up a slave that had been trying to hide under the cart and a dagger slashed out. I felt my stomach drop as the blood spilled out and the mage raised shades, one slightly bigger than the others. The slave cast aside.

Shit. Blood magic.

Iron Bull seemed to notice and he dodged the shades clawing for him, as he made his way to the blood mage as he opened another cart, pulling another slave out, dagger flashing and more blood spilled but he didn't get the chance to raise any more shades as Bull took him out.

I couldn't see the slaves form here. They were probably slowly bleeding out. I could help them! They didn't have to die.

I took in the clearing. It looked like all the enemies were engaged. I made an executive decision and darted out into the clearing. My staff glowing, a thin barrier over my skin and robes keeping me protected as I tried to stay low, but I got shield bashed into a cart by a gladiator and he hovered over me. The shield pressed me until my back hit a cart. The shrieks of the slaves behind me were worrisome as some even cried, begging for mercy.

I was really starting to hate my name.

I pushed my hand against the gladiator, a static charge covering me as he grunted but he seemed unfazed. Shit. I tried a fire rune but his hand twisted mine into an odd angle. I heard a snap in my wrist and I grunted in pain. But the gladiator wasn't going for a killing blow, instead keeping me subdued. That set off warning bells.

I managed to angle my foot, knee drawn to my chest and I kicked against his shield, a stone fist, or stone-kick as I called it, sent him flying away from me. I ducked away, the objective of healing still on my mind. My wrist cradled against my chest as I picked up my staff and collapsed next to Stitches, setting my staff on the ground. Stitches was putting pressure on the wound.

"Get the bandages from my pack." He ordered but I shook my hand, pulling the glove off my uninjured hand by my teeth and simply pressing it against the elven slave. Skin to skin contact improved results I learned. "What are you doing he's going to die-" He cut off short as I poured magic into the slave.

Stitches pulled away his hands as he watched the muscle begin fusing as though he wasn't injured at all. The skin quickly sealing the wound. "Give him a health potion" I rasped as I shuffled on my knees to the other one, my hand pressed to their neck healing him up just as easily.

I pulled a health potion out of my belt with some difficulty but managed to get the young elf to drink it. I went to get up to duck for cover when gauntlet covered hands grabbed me by my hair and yanked me back, dragging me in the dirt. I yelped and twisted to see the gladiator. He was dragging me out of the clearing!

 _Fuck!_

I shrieked. "ALON!" Terror ripping through me as I kicked my feet out to shake the ground but the gladiator managed to heft me up before I could and gagged my mouth.

I froze as the leather clenched around my mouth.

 _Screams, blood dripping down my back. The counting of each painful lash._

I didn't know the tears had sprung up until I tried to find Alon in the crowd, everything blurry. The blur became dark as a bag was placed over it, keeping me from seeing.

 _No._ No! I struggled.

"MERCY!" I heard Alon scream, he was so far away. But I couldn't see him. I heard a crunch and I fell down to the dirt. Unfamiliar hands grabbed for me but I struggled away, kicking whoever it was.

"Easy."

I still faught as he grabbed my arms and pinned them.

 _"That's why I'm not going to kill you." Zazz's voice was clear in my head. The intent clear as his dagger ripped through my vest._

I shook as I heard a tearing of fabric.

 _Shackles clamped around my wrists and all I could see was fire, bright and hot. My tunic ripped and cold frigid air hit my back._

I could see now but all I saw was grey and a brown leather harness. Then there was horns and the leather in my mouth was taken out.

"Mercy…" I heard Alon murmur and then I was pulled into his arms and I shook against him, familiar scent and comfort filling and calming me. I realize the battle had been over and silence surrounded us. I _wasn't_ crying, but I was still, silent and my eyes wide and filled with tears.

"So. There's a few things you haven't told us, Emeric." Iron Bull confronted him. "Why were they adamant in grabbing her?"

"And how she managed to heal fatal wounds without so much as a scar to show for it." Stitches questioned.

There was a deep sigh. "Let us clean up here and I will answer your questions, as best as I can anyway." Emeric said.

* * *

 **5 Coloured Walker** , YES. Sorry I was all over the place when I responded. But I meant specifically the rock tree in the Primal School from DAO and the Primal School from DA2. I wanted to limit Mercy to just those two types. Plus I like the idea that if she branches out from Rock to Earth or Nature, like with the Keeper skills from DAO, Mercy could be a really great Healer. But yes, Mercy will eventually have Earthquake. (I agree DAO mages are OP.) I also wanted Mercy to have at least ONE fangasm and who better than with Iron Bull and Krem?

 **SleepiPanda** , LOL. Riding the Bull. Oh... oh you have no idea the plans I have with how appropriate that is. Not saying she's going to pair off with Bull but just it's funny.

 **GreaterGoodIreland** , Krem is the classiest guy in Thedas.

 **Atsirk Enoh** , There will be more Krem in the future. Just... right now it's just a taste of Krem. I have a soft spot for Krem and he is exactly as you said, eyecandy. Hmmm, delicious Krem.


	39. Got His Eye On You

I could hear them talking right outside the small camp tent. Emeric and Alon were discussing me going to talk to Iron Bull, at the Bull's request.

After my unfortunate freak out, I was ushered off to the side with Alon, while the Blades helped the Chargers clean up and made sure the vints were actually dead. Papers were recovered and information shared about that and coin was split. As far as I know, Emeric gave most of the coin to the surviving slaves and sent toward West Hill.

Camp was set up and Alon, ever the mother hen told me to rest while they set up. Yet now I was awake and eavesdropping on their conversation.

" _No_. She is shaken enough as it is."

"Alon-"

"I do not like him. I do not trust him. What if he behaves untowardly."

"Child."

"What if he sways her to the Qun?"

"He is Tal-Vashoth remember, that will not happen."

"No. She is mine to care for."

"He has given us a chance to bring order to these hills since the Breach. Charging us nothing for him to kill the remaining Tevinters here."

"I do not like this, Emeric."

"She trusts him."

"I know but she is like a child at times. I cannot help but wish to protect her."

"I'm a grown woman, you know. I can make my own decisions." I grumbled loud enough for them to hear. I pulled the sheet Alon had put on me off and crawled out of the tent. My tunic was untucked and loose hanging to mid-thigh, my robe abandoned, and my tunic laces undone. I missed being able to wear loose clothing outside and have no one bat an eye. Here though, anything not tied and tucked to cover your bits was ogled. From the look Alon gave me, it produced a very interesting reaction in him.

"Mercy, dress yourself." Alon mumbled, stepping up and doing my laces up. If I didn't know any better, it was like he was my keeper and not my lover. Though, that was debatable now.

"I am clothed." I smacked his hands away and glowered. "I'm going to go talk to him." I looked across to the other camp where Bull and the Chargers were having a grand time retelling the fight. I almost didn't want to interrupt.

"I will go with you. I think I should, in case he tries anything untoward." Alon nodded his head, pulling his boots on.

"Ha. You're more likely to receive untoward advances than me." I snorted at him. Emeric and Alon both looked at me incredulously. "You're a red head. He _likes_ red heads." Emeric and I snickered at the blush on Alon's face as he took that in.

"P-perhaps I should stay then."

"That's what I thought." I smirked triumphantly and walked toward the Charger camp.

Well, this was bound to happen. At least Leliana won't be present to order me to be tortured. If it goes well at least I can start off with maybe one person to vouch for me. It would be better if that person were Cole, then maybe Solas would be okay with me.

 _Solas_. I wonder if he might know how I got here. I'll have to ask when… if I get the chance.

Bull saw me approaching and the Charger camp became quiet. Suddenly, I was very nervous, my hands picking at my tunic sleeves. I only had one chance at this. "You wanted to talk?" I tilted my head at Bull. I felt his eye on me, that nervous habit became playing with my hair and looking down.

This was worse than public speaking, because I knew Bull could practically read me like a book and it won't get any better if I imagine him naked.

Actually, I looked up at Bull imagining him naked. No, still doesn't work. All it did was make my cheeks hot. I wonder what the Ben-Hassrath was reading into that.

"Yeah, let's go a bit away." He rose and gestured to his Chargers to continue, but I doubt they would. Instead they'll probably be watching out for him, at least probably Krem would.

Iron Bull gave me a grin and pointed a little ways off from the camp where we might get some privacy but also be viewable from the Blades camp. Intentional so Emeric and Alon didn't think I was being murdered or something. There were far more Blades here than Chargers.

"So what did Emeric tell you that I should correct." I started off.

"Starting off with refuting what he's told me?" Iron Bull sat on a rock and stared at me. Should I sit? I opted for squatting instead, at least until it brought me eye level with his waist and then I promptly stood up again. He gave that low chuckle again and I suppressed a smirk.

"Yes, particularly about the part where I'm sent from the Maker. Emeric and the other blades came up with that on their own. I absolutely do not claim to be sent by some divine hand or another."

"Good, you're not crazy then. That makes this easier."

"I am however, a seer. As far as I know anyway."

"You're not a seer." He said evenly, watching me. I took a step back.

"Uh… pretty sure I am. Seeing the future kind of means I am."

"As far as I've heard-"

"You mean from the Ben-Hassrath reports." His eye hardened and he made to stand up but looked back toward the camp and remained seated. I wanted to smack myself. Why did I say that? "Because I know you're Ben-Hassrath and the Qun sent you here." I word vomited and as his gaze became more dangerous I fretted. Shit. _Shit._ "To-to investigate the Breach, maybe get close to the Inquisition to find out if they need to invade to stop the whole world from ending or being destroyed."

"Where'd you get that information?"

 _Crap_.

"Okay. The truth, because I know if I tried to lie, you and all your training would catch it. Seems pointless to try and lie. I'm…" I searched a better way to say it. "…not from here?"

"Try again." It was a dangerous tone and I chewed my lip.

"No that part is true but the wording is weird." I sighed. "I'm not from Thedas." I looked at him and he simply crossed his arms and stared at me.

"I'm from somewhere beyond Thedas. Another world… realm? Universe. I don't know how to phrase it to make you understand and truthfully I thought I was dead when I realized I was in Thedas. My people have heard of here. It was just the means to which I got here made me think I was dead or just hallucinating it, or that this was my afterlife somehow."

There was a long silence from Bull as he weighed my words, his eye still trained on me. "Go on."

"Does that mean you believe me?" I looked at him hopefully. If it was that easy-

"No." He took a breath. "It just means you are telling the truth. Whether I believe your claim is another matter."

 _Damn_.

"Do you know what a Dreamer is?" At his nod I continued. "My world has them, kind of. We don't have the fade." I stopped and looked at him. "Let me rephrase that. _I_ don't think we have the fade. Or if we did the veil is so thick that magic is near impossible. However in dreams, it might be different. Just like here we might still visit the fade in our dreams. There are people of my world that can even control their dreams and remember most of them." I blinked. This was the most I've talked or thought of Earth in a while. "One guy dreamed of Thedas, of this world. And he told a lot of people of what he saw. But he didn't just see one set of events, he saw many and how they change based on earlier choices made by… certain people. Important people. People who would be Legends."

"Like who?"

"Like the Hero of Fereldan. The Champion of Kirkwall. The Right Hand of the Divine." I looked right at him for this part. "And the Herald of Andraste."

"So you know what's going to happen then?"

"No. I know what _could_ happen. Might happen. It's not a definite thing but some things I do know _will_ happen." I took a deep breathe, better come out with this bomb too. "Just like I knew the Breach was going to happen."

Bull growled. "You knew the Breach was going to happen and you didn't try-"

"I _did_ try." I groaned and sighed. "I was kind of limited in my options, okay? It's not like you could just walk up to the Andrastian Divine and tell her. 'Oh hey I know of this conspiracy against you that would plummet Thedas into Chaos and unleash a horde of demons.' I'd have gotten killed, or worse imprisoned and tortured for information." I glowered. "I still could considering it's you I'm telling this to. Ben-Hassrath are known for that aren't they? But I'm telling you this _willingly_."

"Why are you? You could have lied, it's not like they aren't watching. I couldn't touch you without blowing my cover."

"Well. Aside from the fact I am a pretty bad liar, if you didn't grab me now it would have been later with worse consequences and no time to tell my side." I sighed. Damn, I was getting agitated. I'll probably have to have this conversation again with the Herald later. I looked to Bull meaningfully as I considered. "At least now I can come clean about what I know and maybe… strike a deal?" I gave him my most charming smile.

"A deal. You're telling me you're being forthcoming with this information because you want a deal?" Iron Bull chuckled darkly and shook his head. "What's the deal?"

Here was my chance. "Don't report back to the Qun about me."

"Not a chance."

"Damn. Figured it was worth a shot. Then… wait until after the matter of the Breach is settled before you do?" I stared at him and he looked like he was considering, weighing the pros and cons.

"Alright. That I can do. But only if you can tell me why the Vints were aiming for you. I'm assuming you're what they were talking about in the letters we found." The Qunari gave me a short nod.

"That I don't know. I have theories. Maybe they know I'm a seer and want to utilize it."

"I told you, you're not a seer."

"What does the reports say about seers anyway?" He leveled me with a glare but he closed his eye. A method to bring back information? After a moment he spoke.

"There was an investigation to Rivain to discover what they could do. They see things, but only the past due to Fade crap and spirits. If they really could see the future-"

"They would completely make use of it. That makes sense. Why let a potentially game-changing power just sit there?"

"Exactly." He looked at me surprised that I understood. I may be bad at lying but even I knew a real advantage when I saw one.

I frowned. Seer was the only explanation I had and now I didn't even have that. How do you explain my ability to see the future and its possible events? "But if seers can't actually see the future…what am I? Because I _can_ see the future. Well… I already have a base knowledge of future events but with my ability I see more. I don't understand that."

"So explain to me what you don't understand?" Bull looked at me seriously. "Emeric said you saved his life, got a vision of betrayers within your company, how did that happen? _Don't_ just say vision."

So I told him. Everything I knew about what happened the day of the Breach. My weird déjà vu moment, how I made three different decisions regarding Emeric. Let him die of his injuries, save him but not have enough energy to heal him or take precautionary steps to ensure I could heal him. It was a weird step by step process. I had to learn from each to do what I needed.

"Why'd you let him die the first time?" Iron Bull pinned me with a look.

"Because I hated him. Still hate him actually, even if things are… copacetic between us." I looked toward where Emeric and Alon sat, occasionally throwing me glances to make sure I was okay.

"Hate's pretty strong. Must have been personal."

"It was." I frowned, my arms crossing.

"Did he ra-" Iron Bull growled looking back toward Emeric. I interrupted him before he could get up.

"No. Not that. Though considering what he was taking and how it changed him I wouldn't have put it past him. But he made Alon punish me..." I trailed off, my hand reaching over my shoulder into my tunic feeling the scars. I sometimes still get phantom pains from the memories. "But I'm glad I got the chance to change the outcome, let him live. Now he can serve a future purpose."

"And what's that?"

I smirked. "By dying when the Herald kills him. The Blades have some weird customs, one of which only a challenger who kills the current leader can become a leader. And had I managed to thwart the traitors and killed Emeric, I would have been made leader or… Alon would have. And I don't want Alon to die."

"What makes you think the Herald is going to kill him?"

"I told you. I have a base knowledge of the future events. And either the Herald kills all the Blades, me included or he or she finds a way to challenge the leader. It's by wearing… and don't laugh I swear I'm not making this up, by wearing the Mercy Crest." He laughed anyway. I did do a little digging into the Mercy Crest. It's a real thing and an outsider wearing it is known as a challenger. In house challenges are done differently. "It's not because I'm named Mercy. Though I'm not actually named Mercy. It's just a nickname for my full name, Mercedez."

"Mercedez doesn't sound too bad."

"Where I come from it's the name of a type of horse." _Car_ but horse is not far off. "The jokes I'd get growing up, I swear. So I took to responding only to Mercy. Only I didn't know I'd end up here with the Blades who have a Blade of Mercy and Mercy being one of their core attributes." I shook my head.

"So why would the Herald challenge Emeric? It's not like they don't already have an army."

I bit my lip and considered being brutally honest. "Because the Blades are very protective of these hills. And when the Inquisition comes…"

"They'll kill the scouts." Bull finished. He shook his head looking down. "Are you going to stop him?"

"Well, now that I have his trust, I'm going to try. I don't know if I can convince him to not retaliate but I have to try right?" I looked to Bull meaningfully. "I've already got the thousands of lives that died at the Conclave on my conscious."

"That was going to happen anyway, wasn't it?"

"Yeah but I could have stopped it."

"It's not your fault. You tried to stop it and it still happened, blame the bastards who did it." Bull had pulled me by my arm to look me square in the eye. "How _did_ you try to stop it?"

"I sent a letter to the Divine and her left hand."

"You sent a…letter." The Ben-Hassrath did not look amused at least until he snorted. "Better than nothing."

I sighed relieved. "So, do you believe me?"

"No." _What?_ "But I know you're telling the truth. And I'll hold off on sending my report on you. I still have questions."

I sighed, relieved and crouched low. My heart rate which had been pumping fast began to slow as I calmed. I heard him chuckle. "I will answer any questions you have to the best of my ability." I sat down on the floor. This went a lot better.

"The Herald. What can you tell me about them?"

I whined and cringed. "Nothing. And before you accuse me of withholding information, it's because I don't know anything at all."

"You said the dreamer from your _world_ saw the events decided by those who would be legends, the herald included. And you're telling me you don't know anything about them?" Iron Bull was full on glaring.

"No no. I know something. It's just I can't tell you anything definitive. What I know is only the possibilities. There are four people who could be the Herald. _I_ just don't know which one did become the Herald." I told him quickly before he decided to go back on the deal.

"And who would those be?"

"A human noble by the name of Trevelyan, a Dalish Elf from Clan Lavellan, a Casteless Dwarf from House Cadash, and a Vashoth Mercenary by the name of Adaar. The possibilities. I don't even know if they are a warrior, rogue or mage-"

"Mage." Iron Bull said dismissively, his eye was closed as he thought about something. Was he cataloguing each name? Maybe he already had intel on all four? That would be handy. "That's something to go on."

"Yeah. I'll only find out when I join the Inquisition." I huffed.

"So you do intend to join."

"Well… yes. Otherwise what would have been the whole point in me telling you anything?" I locked eyes with the Qunari. He understood.

"You want me to vouch for you."

"If you can. Not anything big or inconvenient that might make them trust you less. Just so I don't end up being tortured under the Haven Chantry on Leliana's orders." He scrutinized me.

"I thought you might have been airheaded when I first saw you. You've got a bit of cunning to you." He leaned forward. "I like it." He rumbled lowly.

I sputtered as my cheeks warmed and he laughed, a great booming laugh. "Careful, my keeper might think you're converting me." I smirked and pointed to Alon who was now openly staring at us.

"Hmmm." Bull was looking back at Alon now, to which Alon blanched and looked away.

"Red heads yeah?" I smirked at Bull who scrutinized me again. "Base knowledge but I don't know you personally. That's going to take some time after all."

"Well, Mercy. Before they think I _have_ converted you, I think that will be enough for now. At least until you join the Inquisition. Don't think of running." He stood up, towering over me. I came to about his chest but still he was tall.

"I'd have nowhere to run too, that the Qun couldn't find me anyway. But thanks for hearing me out, The Iron Bull." He walked back to the Charger camp and I walked back to Alon. I didn't like that I was now under his eye and there would be a report going to the Qun but it was better than the alternative, being dragged kicking and screaming to the Qun and be studied and bound like a Saarebas. But we'll be meeting again once the Inquisition come to the Coast, whenever that was. I wonder how much of a pain the Hinterlands is to clear of rifts and help the people of the Crossroads.

I was just ready to go back to sleep and hopefully wait out the next few days, maybe weeks, until the scouts of the Inquisition came. Alon had other plans the moment I stepped into camp.

* * *

"Alon, can't we just go to sleep? I'm tired. I can tell you are too." I groaned as I rested against a tree. Alon was pacing, deep in thought. It was night already, the dual moons being our only light source. He'd dragged me off into the forest, far enough they couldn't see or hear us, but we could see the light and find our way back.

"Mercy. I may have been hasty in ending…" He paused and looked up.

 _Oh_. This is about that. "Us?" I offered and he turned to me, longingly. "Is it because you're jealous of the attention I received from Krem and Bull?"

"No but I did not like them turning their gaze on you in such a manner." Alon growled, stepping to me. "They would have been unworthy to receive your affections. They are not Andrastian."

"Unlike you?" His eyes widened but he pulled away. "Alon…kiss me." I stared up at him, my lips pouted my chest heaving, and my hand trailing up further to loosen the laces of my tunic. He gazed at me for one second too long, was he going to? Each second meant no until I looked down. "Never mind."

"Mercy." He was so close I could feel his breath on my cheek as he pressed a soft kiss there.

"Not the kind I wanted." I faced him, he was troubled, conflicted as he fought against himself. His thumb traced over my bottom lip and then he angled my head up. The feather light kiss that he bestowed on me wasn't enough. I wanted more. "Please…" I whimpered.

There was a stifled groan and then he was pushing his lips on me fully. Soft, warm and delving. His tongue asking for permission that I easily gave. My chest was tight as I looped my arms around his neck and his arms around my waist.

"Mercy," He moaned into my ear "I find I can't say no to you."

"Then don't." I rasped, taking his earlobe between my lips and nipping it lightly. I earned a groan from him and I was pushed against the tree, his hands underneath my tunic undoing my trousers. "Alon… here?"

"Yes." He pushed my trousers and smalls straight to the floor.

"But-"

"Let them hear." He growled as he kneeled in front of me, pulling my feet out of the clothes. "Brace yourself." I did just as he hefted one leg and put it over his shoulder, spreading me wide. I balanced on one leg using the tree as support. The cold air made me shiver. "Open your tunic."

I undid my tunic and it lay open, my nipples hardening and goosebumps making me shiver. I hope I didn't catch a cold from this.

"You weren't a good girl. So you'll need to be punished." His eyes glittered, a smirk on his lips as his fingers traced up my thighs, skirting close to my mound. Suddenly every touch made me jump, squirm. The anticipation was unbearable as he never once touched me there. He ghosted around, breathed but never touched.

"Oh _please_." I panted, shivering against the tree.

"Please what?"

"Lick me…suck me." I gasped when his tongue touched me, swirling around my swollen hood. His eyes never left mine. It wasn't enough. "Use your fingers." The edges of his eyes crinkled but he obliged, his fingers spreading my lips apart and dipping inside of me. " _Oooh_."

The sounds of my gasps and his lapping was all that registered to me as he got me closer and closer. I tensed as it built up. I could feel it behind my eyes as his fingers stroked deep inside me, knowing just where to press, when to rub and when to drag it out. My toes curled as my vision became electric and then he pulled his mouth off.

"Alon!" I gasped glaring at him as he pulled his hands away, licking them clean and watching me. A self-satisfied grin spread as he cleaned his fingers. "That…wasn't nice."

"You're being punished." I whined and leaned against the tree. My fingers sneaking down to finish but he grabbed them and held them away. "Not yet." Seconds turned to minutes and I was shivering with the cold and then just when I thought of pushing him away, his lips were back on me, fingers tentatively exploring me again, despite him knowing just where to hit.

"Don't… do that again." I moaned as he chuckled and sucked on my clit. My legs felt weak the closer I got again. I was clenching in anticipation but if Alon dare to pull away again-

"Son of a bitch, Alon! Don't do that." He was sitting back on his haunches grinning up at me, my thighs trembling and the cold making me shiver. I huffed, my breathe visible in the air.

"Whatever do you mean?"

I didn't get to say anything because he was on me again, his mouth sucking eagerly at my sopping cunt and his fingers rubbing me. I couldn't take it. I was wound up, so tight and I could feel the fade around me as my vision blurred white again. I felt him laugh against me and then cold air. I was ready to protest when his lips met mine. I tasted myself on his tongue as he devoured me.

Then he slipped inside me, filling me up, my leg now hiked up against his chest. "Mercy," He groaned as he began thrusting in and out. I could hear the wet slapping sounds as the bark dug into my hands, his eyes glittering darkly as he took me. Each thrust was hard, and he dragged out slowly teetering me on the edge.

"Alon… can I… can I _please_ …" I rasped, staring up at him. It dawned on him what I was asking for and he grit his teeth, one hand pressing against my clit and I moaned into the cold night air as lightning burned into the tree we were fucking against.

I understood what Yvette had meant when she gave me her assessment. Mages could feel everyone around them when they use their magic and right then as I was coming, I could feel everyone. Myself. Alon. The birds, the ants, the plants. And a horned voyeur who I made eye contact with their single grey eye and then he left.

Alon spent himself inside of me not long after. He had to keep me from falling over as I hadn't regained control or strength in my legs, nor stopped trembling from my orgasm, to his delight.

We went to bed in our tiny camp tent, pressed against each other. And if we happened to fall asleep making love slowly, then we did. I didn't have any nightmares either, although I woke up very sticky.

* * *

The next morning the Blades said goodbye to the Chargers, left them with one of our carrier hawks to report where they see Tevinters.

I couldn't look at Iron Bull in the eye for long, especially when he gave me a knowing smirk. Alon didn't seem to mind so much. In fact he held my hand openly as we hiked to the North Camp, and maybe he sneaked me kisses when the other Blades weren't looking.

* * *

 **Atsirk Enoh** , You caught the story just as I burned myself out and needed some down time. But i'm glad you're enjoying the story.

 **5 Coloured Walker** , I had an explanation for Stitches lack of action from the chapter I wrote from Bull's POV that I scraped. But in it, Stitches became engaged in combat, preventing him from helping Mercy (I realized the irony of OP DAO mages and Earthquake, it wasn't lost on me. I usually ran an Entropy + Creation mage, because I wasn't a big fan of Wynne and needed a healer.).

I did consider Ice as a possibility for Mercy but I didn't want to have her be too special, like I said. And I felt her being a natural at Healing is already a step too far for my taste but it does have to do with spirit interaction, given we haven't seen her actually interact with any Spirits aside from that one Desire Demon towards the beginning. There IS an explanation for that too, but with time it will come out. Right now Mercy doesn't understand much of magic, only that it works somehow and she can use it by thinking and feeling.

 **GreaterGoodIreland** , Yes the secret is revealed. I hope you enjoyed this chapter btw. Its very different to how your story interacted with Bull.

 **Skymoon18** , Welcome to the party, Skymoon! I'm glad my cliffhangers are well defined. Those are for the most part by design. I typically don't stop writing until I can leave it off on a cliffhanger. Not this chapter however. This chapter needed a bit of closure to set up for the next act.


	40. Stir Crazy

"You can't keep me locked away in here forever." I huffed, following Alon as he made his rounds around the encampment.

"You're not locked up, in fact there are no locks on the encampment gates." Alon answered with a smirk.

We'd returned back to the main camp after our little excursion north and ever since, I haven't been allowed to step foot outside of the encampment. Either one of the scouts will stop me with a false warning, or Brig will come out and carry me back in kicking and grumbling, or Alon will call for me with a very salacious look. I recognized the pattern easily enough.

"But no one will let me _leave_ the encampment!" I hissed at the lieutenant who also happened to be my lover.

"Purely coincidental, I'm sure." I may be bad at lying, but Alon was very good at lying by using half-truths.

"Alon. I'm going absolutely stir crazy. There is only so much I can do here. You've sent Yvette to the East Camp, Alise is in the North Camp, Jany is in Crestwood, Beltrude is missing and Silvie… I am one snide comment away from strangling her in her sleep." I growled.

After I remembered about what happens in Crestwood and pleaded to do something to help Mira, Emeric sent Jany, Beltrude, and Delphine to go ensure she was safe and to escort her back if need be. So far the only news we've received is that Beltrude disappeared in the middle of the night once they arrived. Delphine was currently on his way back after Jany found Mira on the outskirts of Crestwood completely fine. The two would be staying there with the healer until after the child is born.

"Mercy. I know you wish to help, but you do more when you stay here." Alon's hands were busy writing in his ledger about the goods we procured while in the North. Or rather Emeric and he procured. I had to stay in the North Camp, where it was _safe_. I took it more was where I would remain captive inside a cabin for fear I would be injured again. Their precious _seer_. I hated the term, especially now that I knew I definitely wasn't a seer.

"What exactly do I do here that I can't out there while scouting or hunting or whatever else needs to be done?" I followed after Alon, ignoring the looks of reverence from the other Blades. While we had been gone Silvie took it upon herself to exchange all of my clothes for white versions with the barest hints of blue. Every morning felt like I was donning a bridal dress that would be a lie to my supposed "purity." So now even walking around the encampment I was donned in a glaring white that just drew the eye.

"You inspire." Alon finally turned to me. "You give them hope that even though our numbers are down that we will prevail."

I produced a disgusted noise that would have Cassandra jealous. "I could do more. Healing, training-"

"If you wish to train, you can wait for me to finish here and I will _train_ you." Alon said lowly into my ear. I didn't like training with him anymore. He always made it into a game. How quickly can you make Mercy flustered and red? And then we'd quickly disappear into his tent, after kicking out Frail, and spend an hour in there _training_.

"Not… not like that." I pouted and Alon chuckled as he moved to the storage cabin. The new cabin was finished and another one was being built right next to it so more supplies would be needed. I trailed after Alon, lingering just outside the storage closet.

A minute passed. Alon rarely took long in there but I had a feeling if I stepped in, we wouldn't be out for a lot longer, so I loitered outside.

"Mercy." I heard him call. I bit my lip. I really wanted to convince Alon to let me go out. If I get Alon to agree, even if by…dirty methods at least I'll be out there doing things rather than stuck in here doing gardening or helping Fabian with the cooking or reading magical theory books that Yvette seems adamant to load me up on.

"Oh fuck it." I grumbled and disappeared into the storage closet. Familiar hands already on me.

"Took you long enough." Alon chuckled into my ear, his hands busy sliding into my trousers.

We finished with our _extracurricular activities_ in the storage closet with Alon now in agreement that I could go out scouting, but only if I traveled with four others. I didn't care because I was getting out of the encampment.

Pushing my hair back into a braid, I bounded out of the storage cabin, Alon following after fumbling with his belt and a little out of breath. Lately he hasn't been able to keep up with me. "Take Anna, Gideon, Frail and Brig." Alon called after me.

Frail and Brig were my first pick anyway. Anna and Gideon on the other hand, not so much. I located my two best friends and then sung around to pick up Gideon from the stables. Gideon had taken over Bryant's job tending to the horses but all the horses were currently out. Emeric had taken the horses with a cart to bring back supplies from the traveling merchants.

"Gideon! Scouting party." Frail called into the stables where Gideon was fixing a broken stall. He was an older elf, with white hair and stockier than I've seen other elves. But he smiled and hammered in the last bit before walking out.

"I suppose it is our Lady of Mercy to thank for this?" Gideon looked at me knowingly. I groaned. _Lady of Mercy_ was another title these nutcases have thought up. Frail snorted and Brig patted my shoulder.

"Yes. Where's Anna?"

"Here." Came a reply from above. Frail, Brig, Gideon and I took a few steps back and looked to see Anna sitting on the roof of the stables. "We're going on a scouting party right?" Anna was a little girl. If I had to guess she was in her teens. She always had a pleasant smile on and carried a multitude of daggers on her person. She has short cropped blonde hair and large green eyes that let you know she was an elf, if the pointed ears poking between locks wasn't a dead giveaway. She jumped off the top of the stables and landed in a crouch.

I would have taken to her, but she peered up at me suspiciously almost all the time. She clung to Brig as we made to head out, Frail grumbling as the gentle giant that was Brig, hefted her up to let her sit on his shoulders.

"Any particular direction, my lady?" Gideon directed at me. I frowned.

"Exploration in areas our typical outpost scouts can't get to. Report any unusual findings. Do you have a bird?" Alon said as he walked up to us. He handed me a bag with potions. "Only two bottles of Lyrium, use them wisely."

"Don't I always?" I grinned cheekily at him as I slipped the potions into my belt, the others grabbing health potions for their belts as well. Gideon stepped away to grab one of the birds that had been saved from the south camp, a whistle around his neck and he let the hawk fly off.

"Don't worry, Lieutenant. I'll make sure she's not wasteful." Frail stepped up, smirking as he looped my arm with his and dragged me out, or was it me dragging Frail?

* * *

We had to go around a rift area to get anywhere good but by then I was in good spirits. My staff in my hand, fresher air in my lungs and finally some freedom to move and do as I pleased without Alon hovering or Silvie judging. Plus Gideon was singing something in elvhen, of which I didn't recognize.

We passed the morning walking, noting locations of rare herbs and plants as well as tracking movements of bears and wolves. We did nearly disturb a grazing druffalo but we side stepped that possible disaster.

We were going for a loop around a rift area along a mountain side when I spotted it going up in the distance. The top of a banner seen over the tree tops and in a clearing that broke off a path through the mountains. It was a common path we used to use but because of its relative proximity to the rifts and how unconventional it is to get to, we don't go that way.

"What is that?" Anna pointed to it from atop Brig's shoulders.

I could barely make out the tops but even in the muted grey light of day I could tell it was gold.

"I don't know." I muttered as I took it in again. "Looks like a banner." I moved toward a higher point along the path and stood on my tip toes.

"We should investigate." Gideon said, pulling his sword out.

"I thought you said investigate? Why are you pulling your sword out?" I turned to him and then noted both brig, Anna and Frail were also gearing up. "Why are you all?"

"Whoever is putting a banner down, means to stay. We can't let that happen." Frail said as he counted his arrows.

"You mean we're just going to kill them? What if they are friendly? Sh-shouldn't we tell them to leave first?" I stopped them from moving forward, my hands held up. "Don't we at least warn them? Like we did with the Chargers?"

"That's what we're going to do. Gideon." Frail turned to the elder elf who nodded and used the whistle. I couldn't hear anything but not too long and there the hawk was landing on his outstretched gloved arm.

"Wait wait. Okay. Let's at least approached with our weapons sheathed."

"Not everyone is friendly. You need to learn that." Anna said with a scowl. "You're too soft." She stepped up and pushed me out of the way. Frail and Brig looked at me apologetically as Gideon set the hawk flying with a small wooden tube attached to its leg.

"I don't like this. At least let me go in first? I look harmless, you know." If you didn't count the fact I have a staff and could very much trigger a minor earthquake with my feet.

"We'll see when we get closer. For now, we need to be ready in case who ever we meet attacks us." Frail pushed forward, a handful of arrows already poised and ready to burst shot out. Brig nodded with his maul ready to swing and Gideon stepped in toe with them. Anna had a handful of daggers in her hands, where she got them I will never know.

I bit my lip as we moved forward along the path. I didn't like this. Perhaps I should have asked Alon to come with. He at least would have been more amenable to my suggestion of a pacifistic approach. Going in with a bow cocked, swords out was not my style. It was giving me a headache just thinking about the possible ways it could go wrong.

We snuck forward in formation. Brig in front, Gideon to his left, Frail to his right, Anna to Frail's right and I in the back. Everyone knew I was the weaker fighter but also because I was a mage and therefore had a lot less of a defense, although my barriers and shields were pretty strong.

By the time we got close enough to hear voices, we could also see roughly how many of them were, \ nine according to Frail. We were outnumbered for sure. One of them was short, a dwarf calling the shots as tents were erected up. We couldn't fully see the whole camp but we were in position to take deadly shots if we had to, or rather they were. I protested in whispered words.

"There's one mage. You can take them out?" Frail signed to me from the bushes he hide behind. Frail and Anna were the rogues so they could hide easier. Yet Brig was large so he hung back, as did I but merely because my robes were white.

"Maybe. Can I at least go in first?" I signed back and Brig looked down at me when Frail shook his head.

"Go anyway?" Brig signed. "Prevent needless deaths?"

"My sentiments exactly." I muttered to Brig. Gideon was sneaking behind trees.

I didn't wait and darted behind tree to behind tree, my staff holstered. I could hear the camp hush as they heard my intentionally loud footsteps. I could see Anna and Frail move out but I held a hand out to stop them. We could do this peacefully, I know we can.

I crossed over the threshold of the clearing.

"That's far enough!" A vaguely familiar voice said.

I looked up into hazel green eyes, a freckled face and a ginger touched brown braided hair on a female dwarf who had a bow cocked and aimed at me. An eye with a fiery sword emblazoned on her metal chest piece made me halt. _The Inquisition._

"What is your purpose here?" I noted the other scouts of the Inquisition had their weapons trained on me. The mage had a fireball already bouncing between their hands and the lead scout moved closer to me.

"To…" I didn't actually know what to say. I stared at the dwarf. She looked familiar. "To give a message." I fumbled as I looked at her. I knew her, I swear I did.

"A message? For who?"

"For-" There was a rustle to my left. The head scout and I turned to it but the only difference was, that she shot an arrow right into it.

"Anna!" I heard Frail screech.

No. Oh no. I saw her body collapse out, a single arrow in chest. Her eyes looked frightened and they met mine. No. _No. She was a child!_

I turned angrily to the scout who already had another arrow cocked and aimed at me. "She was a child!" I all but roared, a barrier flaring up and I stepped forward. The world was suddenly too bright. "Ugh…" I flinched back.

"Who was a child?" Gideon's voice asked, his hand on my shoulder.

I looked up. We were on the mountain path. "What?" I looked up to see Frail and Brig staring at me curiously, Anna on brig's shoulders and glaring. "I…" I saw it in the distance again. The gold banner top of the Inquisition going up. "I don't feel so good."

"What's wrong?" Frail asked, but I kept looking at Anna.

"Let's go back to camp, please." I shuddered.

"Your nose is bleeding." Anna said and she jumped off Brig's shoulder and handed me a small handkerchief as I spotted the blood in the dirt. It was just a drop but as I held the blue cloth to my nose it was a lot more, like I'd been punched in the nose but without the pain.

"We've barely been out, are you sure?" Gideon asked to which I nodded.

I needed time to think.

* * *

 **Atsirk Enoh** , It will all come out in time. Like I said, this is a slow build story. I intend to drag this story out for as long as I can.

 **GreaterGoodIreland** , Unlike your story, I've gone with Mage-Mage-Mage for all protagonists. Mage Warden (Solona), Mage Hawke and Mage Herald/Inquisitor.

I figured Sam, from your story, would interact with Bull again. No way would Tam get away that easily.

 **5 Coloured Walker** , Glyphs are where I am going with Mercy actually. But that's going to come later and be taught to Mercy by someone you might not expect. In time though, in time.


	41. So You Have Sworn

All the way back to the encampment, I kept throwing furtive glances at Anna. I'd seen her get injured. I hadn't died. My death was not the catalyst to get back. This was getting more and more confusing. I don't even know what this was. Visions? Experiences? Momentary instances of Groundhog Day? Was I Bill fucking Murray all of a sudden?!

I rubbed the bridge of my nose as we walked into the camp. Frail kept looking back at me, as did Gideon. Brig on the other hand hovered to my right with a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Back so soon?" Alon stepped up to us as we entered. I didn't feel like giving a report so I ducked past everyone and powerwalked to my tent. Anna's now bloody handkerchief still in my hands.

Blessedly the tent was empty, no Silvie in sight. I shrugged out of my robe, tossed it on the armor stand and set my staff to the side. I checked to make sure once again that I was alone before opening my double chest and pulled up the false bottom.

I wasn't stupid. The kind of information in my sketchbook was valuable so I had constructed the false bottom, with a bit of help from Frail. I pulled my old drawing notebook out and the bound book next to it and then set everything back inside of it. Clothes, pillows, just to cover it and conceal it. Setting the sketchbook down on my cot, I opened the book to an empty page and pulled one of my old drawing pencils out and wrote in it what I'd seen, in English.

I'd long since destroyed my little cheat sheet that would allow Thedosians to figure out what this was, but I had no doubt truly intelligent spies like Leliana, Bull, or even Varric would be able to figure it out easy enough given time. But I didn't make it easy either. I stopped using double letters. I knew what the word was supposed to be, but they wouldn't. All for the sake of protecting what little information I had from the wrong hands.

Checking my small handmade calendar, I wrote.

 _9: 41 Wintermarch:27 – Inquisition arives on Coast. Vision, they kiled Ana. Went back one hour. No danger to self, semingly._

Eyeing the small misspelled words, I frowned. I thought about the scout. I knew who she was, I just wasn't sure of her name. I flipped open my sketchbook and went through the events.

Inquisition arrives on Coast.

Herald recruits Bull or doesn't. Herald finds missing scouts dead.

Herald either kills or recruits Blades.

Herald explores coast.

There wasn't much that happens on the Coast and recruiting Iron Bull wasn't a mandatory as far as I remember. Here's hoping whomever the Herald is, does recruit Bull and chooses instead to challenge the Blades instead of slaughtering them all. But that's if I can prevent the scouts from dying.

"Mercy?" I closed the book and hid it and my sketchbook under my pillow just as Alon stepped through the tent flap.

"Yes?" I sat on my bed and casually began removing my boots. My heart thumping against my chest like I'd done something wrong.

"Want to inform me what happened?"

"I'm sure Frail did a decent job. We explored, I got ill. So we came back." I said stiffly, letting my boots fall. A heavy silence filled the tent.

"Ill?" Alon stepped up, hand lifting my hair off my sweaty forehead and checking my temperature. "You are a bit clammy." He cradled my cheek.

Do I tell him? If anyone would help me with saving their lives it would be Frail or Alon. But Alon is inherently loyal to Emeric, to the Blades. These hills are theirs, their home, and their livelihood. They won't like it.

 _I'm going to try_.

The words I spoke to Bull reminded me I at least promised I'd try to save them.

"I…had another vision." I stared up at Alon. I had no other words to describe what they were so better to stay consistent. He frowned.

"While you were scouting?" At my nod he kneeled in front of me, his hands grabbing mine, eyes closed as he prayed something. "Did you see your death, again?"

"No." I frowned. "I saw Anna's."

"Anna's? Yet she lives, so you saved another one of us. Blessed-"

"I didn't save her." Pulling my hands out of his grip, I pushed to stand up. "I saw it and… I was able to prevent it. But it _might_ still happen."

"What are you saying? What happened?" Alon sat on my cot. I was keenly aware of how close to my pillow he was.

"If I tell you. I need you to keep an open mind, don't make any assumptions just yet." I looked at the ginger who merely stared at me questioningly for a moment and then nodded. "There is another group making headway into the hills-"

"Then we warn them to not linger and if they refuse we kill them." I groaned at Alon's simplicity but he didn't know.

"They won't just leave on a warning. They… intend to set up multiple camps. But!" I held my hand up to stop Alon's outraged reaction. "They will eventually be closing the rifts we have because their leader can do so."

"And this was in your vision?"

"Not exactly."

"What group is this?"

"The Inquisition?"

He rose angrily. "The upstarts responsible for the Breach?"

"They aren't responsible for that!" Alon had far more access to the outside world than me and as such he's heard the gossip, the rumors that flooded the traders and merchants. I'd only heard a few things in passing between him and Emeric, something about reparations in the Hinterlands. But anything else was never shared, at least not while I was around anyway.

"And how do you know?" He shot me a disbelieving look.

"I told you, a Tevinter Magister was responsible for the Breach!"

"Are you certain of that? Based on the rumors a Qunari was responsible." Alon snarled. I groaned at Alon's prejudice. "I would not put it past their people to cause the Breach to hide their invasion-"

"Oh for the love of Andraste, the Qunari aren't going to invade!" _Yet._

"You've made it perfectly clear your visions are limited, have you seen they will not change their actions?" Alon sneered. "And just how sure are you that the Inquisition's leader can close the rifts yet the very largest still exists, a large hole in the sky where demons wrought chaos across Thedas, including here." Alon paced. "We must stop their invasion into our lands. Emeric will not allow this, _I will not allow this._ " He ran his hands through his hair.

"Alon-"

"Mercy. This is _our_ home. I will not have the Chantry's lap dog of an organization nor a Qunari spy upset the balance and peace we have-"

"It's not exactly peaceful with those rifts! The Inquisition will help with those!"

"You said it yourself, it was not in your vision. How can you be so naïve? They no doubt intend to destroy our very lifestyle!" Alon grabbed me by the shoulders, shaking me.

"Alon. Listen to me." I pulled out of his grip and he glowered at me. "Whatever you heard about the Inquisition, it is not true. I may not have seen it in my vision but I do know they intend to restore order."

"And what if they make it worse?" Alon's fingers dug deeper into my skin. "The Chantry is known for making many things worse."

"They won't."

"How do you know?"

"I don't. But I trust them."

We were both silent staring at each other. I knew this was going to be a tough argument and I'm not even sure I won given how he was glowering still. I had to try, and at least I can color the Inquisition nicer with what I know. Maybe save a few lives, too.

"We send them a warning."

"Alon-"

"No." Alon cut me off. "We send them a warning with a few of our scouts. For them to conclude their business swiftly and leave. But our scouts are to not instigate combat under any circumstances." Alon looked at me. "We will treat them like we did the Chargers, and pray they are just as understanding."

It was more than I could have hoped for. Only I knew they weren't going just leave after surveying the land.

"It's all we can do until Emeric returns." Alon sighed. He looked far elder than I've ever seen him in a long time. He was rubbing his temples.

"Thank you." I pressed a kiss to his forehead, my hand glowing as I touched him to ease his headache.

"I shall go with the scouts." He murmured into my neck, arms around me. "Make sure it remains civil."

"Maybe I should go too?"

"No. I shudder to think if something were to go wrong… that you would be injured." He pulled back sharply. "You will stay."

"Alright." I ran my hands gently through his hair as he pleaded with his eyes for me to not fight him on this. "I'll stay here, look after the camp." He hummed in approval.

"Good." He sighed, dipping to kiss me softly, to ease my concerns. Nothing could of course, but at least Alon will have less to worry about if I didn't go.

* * *

It was decided Gideon, Frail, and Fabian would accompany Alon. Brig was told to remain at my side in case anything were to befall them. It was a good mixture of scouts. Gideon was a one handed warrior, Frail could manage both archery and dual wield, and Fabian fought with a halberd. I'd never seen anyone with a halberd before, turns out's a family heirloom that he managed to salvage when the Blight hit.

"I shall send word once I we conclude our… meeting." Alon whispered to me. "I assume I shall receive a treat for this?"

Snorting, I pinched Alon. "Only if you return back in one piece." At least he was making light of it. That calmed me down somewhat.

"I shall so do be ready, my dearest." He chuckled before going off. It was mid-afternoon so I suspected they'd be back in time for supper. Plenty of time to finish up the last preparations for Wintersend.

"I don't get a special treat?" Frail snickered as he walked past me and toward the rest of the group. I stuck my tongue out at him but he continued on.

"Alright Brig." I turned to the warrior. "We have a few things to do while they are out."

Preparations for Wintersend were mostly done, thanks to Alon's foresight and most of the camp's contributions but small things had to be done before the first of Guardian. WIntersend marks the end of winter, and thank the Maker for that. I don't think I could have handled another frigid night of waking with frost in my eyelashes. Not that I had been lately but it was a relief to know the cold was receding and spring time was coming.

For celebrations we'd be holding competitions in the camp. So all weapons had to be sharpened, and blunted weapons made available for those participating in the small tourneys. I also was setting up a few trivia competitions, mostly based on the Chant of Light and some on the history of Ferelden. I almost wished the Quizquisitor was here for some help.

Brig and I pulled out the decorative wooden bowls and the capes we had used for Satinalia. No Masks however. The capes would be for the victors to stand out.

"Give me those! They look dreadful." Silvie stepped up and held her arms out for the capes.

"Laundering?" I smirked at her.

"Yes."

The day of there would be a small hunting competition to find the fattest nug which will supplement the ram we had caught for the occasion.

Wintersend wasn't unlike many other holidays back home. I know some families actually go hunting for Thanksgiving to find the best deer, but those are in more rural areas. I came from a city so our traditions were store bought. That's one thing I like better on Thedas, the holidays. They are far more genuine and bring people closer.

Although, I do miss gift exchanging. I looked out toward the trees. What would Alon be surprised to receive as a gift? What would he like in a gift? On Earth there was so many things, materialistic in nature I could get but here… I'd have to make it. How hard would it be to make a cake?

"Emeric! You're here early."

My head snapped toward the entrance where the two carts full of goods sat and Emeric was clambering off of the driver's bench.

He was indeed very early. We weren't expecting him back for another two days.

"Where's Alon?" were the first words he said when I approached.

"Uh. Scouting." I said tight lipped, my eyes flicking to his cabin indicating this was a conversation to be had in private.

* * *

"THE INQUISITION?!" Emeric roared at me.

I hadn't expected him to get so angry. "Yes. Alon went to give them a warning."

"A simple warning will not do. We need to take action, drive them out." Emeric clenched his hands.

"Why? I'm sure if we explain to them they cannot stay for longer than necessary-"

"You know nothing!" Emeric growled. "I have heard of what they did in the Hinterlands. Traversing through those lands and claiming it as theirs. They intend to do the same here."

"If only to close the rifts!"

"Oh… you believe their false prophet can do such a thing. You are the maker's seer but you are no naïve."

"Ugh, Emeric stop calling me that!"

"It is what you are. How else do you explain-"

"Just stop it! Okay. If you're going to claim I'm the seer then I am telling you that the Inquisition isn't going to do us any harm!"

Emeric glowered and glared. "And I have taken your advisement but I know better than you. Your visions are not always true remember? You once thought to kill me and that ended badly. What if it is the same now? What if the Inquisition will slaughter us all, take these hills for their own."

"You're crazy!" I felt the cut my tooth made in my mouth before the sting on my cheek registered. The force of the blow sent me stumbling back against a chair.

The silence was deafening as I raised a hand to my cheek and looked up at Emeric who looked just as shocked over his reaction as I felt from receiving it.

"Know your place." He said shudderingly as he stood up straight. "You are a third. You can only give your opinion, you cannot force an action. You swore the oath to follow _my_ will." He stated with finality and walked out.

* * *

 **Ripper1337** , There is still a few more chapters before the Herald/Inquisitor shows up and then mercy joins up. Like it says in the description this is a slow build and this has only just been the build up.

 **5 Coloured Walker** , I'm glad it was a good chapter. I hope this one was just as good.

 **GreaterGoodIreland** , DING DING DING DIIINNGGG! You've guessed something that I've been cackling about for ages. The origin, or the idea origin, for Mercy's "reset" abilities. It started off as a joke, a very hilarious Modern OC in Thedas joke with "save-scumming" abilities. Then it developed into this very serious idea that involved in game elements and lore that I stuck with and there is a bit more to the ability than just "save-scumming." That will come out in time.

Mages kinda get the short end of the stick in game so I thought, LETS MAKE IT AN EVEN SHORTER STICK! Even though they, mages, have proven to be legend and saved Thedas multiple times in the last decade they still get stuck in circle towers and are hunted down. At least in Southern Thedas. It's got a certain ring of futility.


	42. Two Mages Are Necessary

I didn't move, even when Emeric left the cabin, leaving me in the stifling silence of my own breath and heartbeat. Blood rushing in my ears as surely as it did to my throbbing heated cheek.

I swallowed saliva and blood as I went to heal my cheek.

 _Why is your cheek purple, daddy?_

My hands were shaking as the strokes of my magic made sure I wouldn't bruise, the cut inside of my mouth no longer pouring blood onto my tongue. I swallowed hard as I took a moment to compose myself. He was just angry. He looked like he hadn't meant to hit me.

 _Daddy's okay, Mercy. Mommy was just angry. She didn't mean to._

An arcane blast erupted around me, flipping the table over and sending it clattering at the bed. A deep ache settled behind my eyes as I faced the hearth, the heat unpleasant.

No excuses. There was no excuse for it.

I took a deep breath as I righted the furniture with magic, the blue glow enveloping the furniture as I spread my hands in the air in a reminiscent manner I recall Yvette doing. It was the same way I remember mages moving planks of wood in the game.

Then with my head held high, I walked out of the cabin. I wouldn't let this affect me. He hit me. It happened. If he does it again however…

I grit my teeth as I went back to business. I checked the instruments we had, made sure they were ready for the celebration, and ignored Emeric as he paced by the entrance to the encampment, the supplies in the cart being put away by Brig or set down by the new cabin build site.

I kept busy. I did it because I was a bit afraid that if I didn't keep my idle hands moving, I would march over to Emeric and attempt to pull a Fenris and rip his heart from his chest. It would probably be messy considering I couldn't just phase my hand through him.

I wasn't prone to violence. But paired with everything else the bastard had ever done to me, said to me…he deserved it.

Dinner rolled around too soon, and I found myself checking the wooden gates every few seconds. I could see Emeric stomping back and forth barking orders, decidedly not looking my way. Everyone else scampering around wondering why he was suddenly so angry. Although one look at me and they knew. Something happened, again, between their leader and their seer. I didn't care. I was more worried about finishing up what Alon needed to do before he got back.

Speaking of…

It was supper and he hadn't returned.

I was staring at the gates. They were open and I could see those on duty occasionally walking past, their eyes adjusted to the dark out there where as it was light in here thanks to the fire.

Why hadn't he returned?

I sipped at my embrium tea.

Why hadn't any of them returned?

I sat up right when I saw movement but it was just another scout passing by.

"Jumpy?" Silvie's voice drew my attention away. They'd be back, I was just impatient. I just needed to calm down. The elder woman sat next to me, uninvited.

"Just worried. Alon and the others should have been back by now." I muttered.

"Oh don't worry. They won't be back until tomorrow." Silvie nibbled at her bread.

"Why not?" I stared at her. She looked at me surprised.

"Emeric received word-"

What?

"That Alon managed to set up a negotiation-" Oh, thank fuck. "But Emeric sent word back. We don't negotiate and he's to slay whomever the Inquisition sends."

I shot to my feet, blood rushing and making me sway for a moment.

No. _No._ This can't be happening!

"What's wrong?" Her voice faded as I searched the camp for Emeric. My eyes flicking to each person and I charged around them, some of them yelping at me.

Where?

I saw Brig looking at me oddly. There was Anna. No. Emeric… where is the bastard?

THERE.

He was hammering wood into place at the build site. "EMERIC." I called and stomped toward him.

He turned to me, first curious and then once taking a look at my outraged face he hardened. "I did what I had to. And you… are third."

"Where is he meeting them?" I ground out.

"It is not for you to interfere."

"WHERE IS HE MEETING THEM?!" I yelled. The camp around me hushed as my arms shot out lightning around me. Emeric took a step back.

"You forget I was a Templar-"

"I don't give a shit-" I was flung back, magic thrust out of my reach and the fade vanished, if briefly. I could already feel it returning to me and quickly. I gasped as I fell into the mud.

Emeric walked forward slowly and hefted me up. I barely managed to position my feet underneath me. "That was a purge, be thankful I didn't smite you." He growled out while panting.

"I didn't know you were back on Lyrium." I wheezed under his grasp. I couldn't resist.

"Someone has to keep you mages in check, should you get out of hand." He whispered harshly into my ear.

I reached for the fade, feeling its familiar hum at my fingertips. I didn't use it but I began collecting it.

"Just…" I rasped. "Just tell me where he's meeting them."

"Why? So you can ride off to stop him? It's already done. They would have set up on these shores, on these hills. I prevented that." Emeric growled.

"No. I'm only worried about Alon." _Liar._ "He's…" Emeric paused, pulling away as I forced tears to my eyes and swayed again. _Fall for it. Please fall for it._ I sniffed. "Alon's the only one I've ever loved." In that instant I knew it was a lie. It felt like a lead ball in my throat that dropped through my stomach.

Suddenly Emeric looked around, there were whispers and others were looking at him accusingly. _Good._

"My apologies, Mercy. But Alon is more than capable of defending himself. But if you must know, he's meeting them at the Lodge."

I sent a shockwave of fade out of me, toward Emeric that sent him flying. Electricity and lightning arcing off me as I turned around and ran for the stables.

 _Please don't let me be too late._

I hated horses, and horses hated me so I didn't bother to grab a horse. Instead I opened the stall for Moar and Dog. "Come on boys, we need to find Alon!" I commanded of the two mabari who both barked at me. I was running out of the gates with them already ahead of me when a hand pulled me back.

I had my hand charged with lightning, when Brig stepped back out of my firing range. He had his maul and was armored and gave me a smile before signing. "Lead on."

I grinned and we ran out of the gates, Emeric yelling something behind us. I ignored him.

I was running for most of the way. Balls of glowing light floating ahead of me as Brig, the mabari and I climbed up cliffs. It was dark out, hence the fade lights but I didn't care. I needed to get to the lodge, prevent the scouts from dying if I could.

It was important. I failed the breach but maybe, just maybe I could prevent these deaths.

I slipped on rocks, nearly tripped and every step of the way Brig pulled me up, catching me and righting me. I'll need to make the guy a cake at this rate.

In the end, I couldn't keep running and I knew the lodge was hours away, especially on foot. It was dark and while it was toward the end of winter, it was still very cold. I cast warming runes on the both us, just as I heard whining from the dogs.

"What is it?" Brig pointed toward the floor, where a rock was positioned. The green and red mark of a rift letting us know we had strayed too close. "MOAR. DOG! GET BACK HERE!"

Only they weren't.

"Shit." I ventured into the rift radius slowly and hesitantly, looking ahead to make sure I'd keep the rift in sight. I could actually feel it, it felt like more and more of the fade was accessible to me, like I'd never run out of magic. I cast more fade lights and sent them around.

The forest was eerie at night. The damp and drenched floor glistening, the sound of dripping and Brig's footsteps behind me as he crept up beside me. "Moar… Dog…" I whispered into the night.

There was a growling and then the fade exploded in front of me. A rift crackling open in the distant as I saw the silhouettes of two mabari tearing into a Shade. I watched as its claw reared up and descended on moar. "NO!" I sent a chain bolt toward it, it struck the shade and the mabari escaped, running toward us.

The Shade lit up under my spell, the lightning frying it inside out and I swear I smelled something burning as it crumbled into dust. "Back…Back! Get out of the radius." I pushed the mabari out. "To-to the lodge." The rift crackled to life again just as we turned tail and began running again.

Eventually we stopped and walked again, drinking water from the skin Brig had brought. Though the mabari drank water off the ground when they wanted.

We walked for hours. I could hear Brig panting behind me. I was panting to as we floundered our way in the dark. I was surprised we didn't run into bandits, bears, or wolves. But as dawn crept on us, I saw the lodge in the distance.

"Please… please let them be alive still." I gasped as we climbed over the hill to see a massacre. To me it was, but to others it was just four bodies strewn across the floor, blood splattered on the grass and dirt and there at the Lodge, with his shirt off, cleaning blood off it was Alon.

I noted Frail, Gideon, and Fabian too but I focused on Alon. His face was set as he concentrated on cleaning.

That's when the mabari bound forward to him, barking and yipping. Alon looked up to see them and then to see me. A flash of guilt but then he squared his shoulders, pulled his tunic on and moved forward. "Mercy, I received word from Emeric you would be arriving."

I glared at him. The fade building up in my grasp. I wanted to slap him, I wanted to punch him. I thought he was going to spare them, not kill them.

"You monster." I gasped and fell to my knees.

"Mercy." He grabbed my hand, forcing me to look up at him. "It was orders directly from Emeric-"

I didn't care for his excuse. I looked at the four scouts, not recognizing any of them. But they were deaths, on me. I could have stopped this. I should have just confronted her… the head scout.

Scout Harding.

HARDING!

"I want to go back."

"Pardon."

I ignored Alon, closing my eyes. Those visions, they didn't feel like visions. Not like the ones I had of Frail and Alon tainted by red lyrium or of the Breach during the ritual. They felt like I experienced them.

Could I go back?

Could I force a reset?

"Back… I can't let them die. I need to go back…" I mumbled. The mountain path, if I could go back to then, or even just hours before Alon left, it would be fine. I could go in his stead, negotiate with the scout.

"Mercy, listen to me." Alon gripped my hands tighter and I glared at him.

"It's your fault they are dead." I met his eyes. The fade bled around me and he looked shocked, his mouth opening as he went to say something but he didn't get the chance.

The air was sucked from me and from him. The morning light became afternoon and we were standing in the encampment, a potion fell between us as realization dawned on him. We both pulled away, bewilderment upon us both. He gasped for air, coughing and bending over.

I only just remembered to breath.

"What happened?" I turned to see Frail, Gideon, Brig and Anna waiting like they had been to go scouting.

I turned back to Alon looking at me, his face pale. "Your nose."

I reached up to my nose to feel it pouring blood now, not just dripping. The now familiar migraine settling behind my eyes, only it got worse. Much worse.

I fell over as I felt the world shake.

"WE NEED A HEALER!"

" _SHE'S_ OUR HEALER!"

"GET YVETTE HERE QUICKLY!"

I felt hands turn me onto my side and my head held still, my eyes rolling to the back of my head.

* * *

 **NOTE** : I wrote this chapter to the Soundtrack from Mad Max: Fury Road. Just a really specific non-story based fact about this chapter. Hence why it's a bit... fast paced.

 **GreaterGoodIreland** , Yes, the Herald is a Mage Qunari.


	43. Mission Success

The familiar canvas texture of the healer's tent greeted me when I woke up. Daylight was streaming into the tent and a warmth surrounded me. I was covered in furs, blankets, and bedding so heavy I couldn't move.

Then the sounds filtered in. Panicked quick movements, someone quickly preparing a potion and a gasp.

"Yvette will be here in five hours if she rides hard." That was Frail. "Do you know what happened?"

"No." Croaked Alon. He sounded strained, scared even.

"She lost a lot of blood, I don't know how many health potions she might need. Help me get this down her-"

"Just one will do." I grumbled. Based on my level of grogginess I was low on blood, tired and exhausted like I hadn't ate in a long time. The world wasn't swimming but the world was very bright and warm.

"Mercy!" Frail came into view, a potion held forward and tilted to me. "Drink." I nodded as the potion was poured down my throat. I swallowed it feeling it get to work. Frail quickly followed it with water, of which I gladly drank. I hated the taste and consistency of elfroot potion.

A moment passed as Frail watched me, he was holding his breath and when he finally let out a relieved sigh he sat down. "Oh thank the Maker… I… I didn't know what to do."

I was feeling stronger by the second. "How long was I out?"

"Barely an hour, maybe less." Frail said and then leaned forward over me, pulling back some of the furs when I tried to move. I was still a tad weak but I wanted to sit up. "You gave us quite a scare when you…"

"Frail. I'd like a moment alone with her." Alon said. I turned toward his voice and he was also on a cot but he was sitting up and still very pale, if a bit pensive.

"I should check-"

" _Now_."

I watched Frail give me a look and then signed that he would be just outside. I nodded and sat myself up with a grunt as the rogue left. The silence and tension was thick as I rested against the back of the cot. A shuddering breath made me turn to Alon again as he turned to face me, an indecipherable look in his eyes.

"Is that how you saw Emeric die?"

Not the question I thought he'd go with but I nodded.

"It… felt so real as though I was actually living out the day." His cot creaked as he stood up and approached me. "Why did you show me those visions?"

I stared at him, long and hard. He still thought of them as visions. He-

Wait.

I swallowed hard as a half-truth came to mind. "To give you a little insight to what _I_ see sometimes." I said slowly. "And to convince you that we _shouldn't_ kill those Inquisition scouts. Because _I'm_ the one that has seen further than what I showed you. I _know_ what they really intend to do here on the hills." Alon lowered himself onto his knees at that, head bent forward, eyes closed and hands up as though to pray. "What are you doing?"

"Praying for forgiveness." He muttered. "I have doubted what the Maker and Andraste have sent to us and for that…" The same look of reverence the other Blades gave me came over him. I cringed, feeling the churning twinge of guilt in my gut.

"Stop… get up. It's okay… you haven't done those things. You would have, but now you won't." I pushed his hands down. "Just…we will have to greet those scouts eventually. And we _won't_ kill them." I glared at Alon as he nodded, his eyes closing when I offered him apparent forgiveness. I wasn't cut out for this. I really wasn't. I sighed as Alon remained on his knees and pressed his face into my side over the furs and blankets.

"Mercy, you are a testament to your name." He mumbled, arms wrapping around my middle.

"Yeah well…" I coughed, an uneasy feeling coming over me as struggled out of his grip. "We still have to send word to meet the scouts."

"Why-" Alon began, but I placed a finger against his lips.

"We need to be proactive to prevent them from running into our scouts out there who would no doubt kill them. So I need you to have them meet us at the Lodge." I looked at Alon, shucking the furs off me. I was still a bit woozy but Alon hovered over me. "And _I_ will negotiate with them on our behalf."

Alon agreed that it would be better if I did the talking at least. So he went off to continue with the preparations in the camp while I rested a bit more, especially when Yvette arrived just after midday meal. She and Frail practically examined me, worriedly. Something about signs of the blight when I passed out. Seizures were linked to someone becoming a ghoul apparently.

I didn't tell either of them my plans, particularly because I didn't have an exact plan and I really needed to rest. While I was feeling better, I couldn't use much magic. My mana was actually exhausted after that stunt I somehow pulled. Plus, I had to write what I experienced and did in my book. So once I got the two mother hens from pecking at me, I slipped into my tent and quickly wrote what I could remember about what happened.

It was nearing dusk when I set out with Alon, Frail and Brig. Yvette and Silvie would look after the camp while we went to meet the inquisition scouts. Alon had sent Fabian to just near the camp and delivered a letter via arrow, expressing that they meet us at the Lodge to negotiate terms for their exploration of the coast, however the only ones who know what was happening were Frail, Brig, and Yvette, who trusted me implicitly once they saw Alon agreed with my plan.

I would have gone with just those Frail and Brig, but Alon insisted. Said if things turned south, should bandits appear or if the scouts weren't as honorable as I thought, he'd need to be there. Which, I suppose made sense but I wasn't happy about it. I wanted to appear as unhostile as possible.

We arrived at the Lodge relatively early, it was still light out and I had something to hide on the premises.

* * *

"In the vision they arrived much later but I had contacted them at a later time, so they may arrive earlier." Alon said as he sharpened his sword. Frail looked at me at the mention of the vision, as did Brig. I kept my lips pressed tight. No one knew they weren't visions but being able to "share" them was new.

"That's fine. I just want to be the one they see first so I'll be waiting outside and you all can wait inside."

"Absolutely not."

"Alon. Trust me." I glared at the second and he frowned, looking down.

"So… these scouts. What if they attack you?" Frail leaned over the chair as I checked my quarter staff for the distribution of weight. I had given up my full staff in favor of a smaller one. It was similar to a baton in some aspects, or a pole and I could actually do some elaborate twirling with it. Sadly not while casting. The twirls were just for show.

"I'm confident they won't. They have no reason to, especially if I tell them we are willing to negotiate." I set my staff down and then pulled my gloves on and tried it again. It was a bit harder, or I needed cloth gloves instead of leather ones.

"Emeric won't like that." Frail pulled my leather gloves off and cut the tips of them with a dagger. I frowned but pulled them on.

"Well, Emeric can deal with it later. He won't know until it's too late." It was a bit of payback for what he did in my "vision" even if in this version he hadn't yet done it.

"Frail is right, Emeric will be very displeased we went around him."

Brig grunted, signing, "He will have to learn to trust our Seer." He smiled as he placed a hand on my shoulder in support. Frail told Alon what Brig said, Alon was still baffled that Brig could communicate now.

We had an early dinner, with one of us quickly checking to see if the scouts had arrived yet. Then I sat outside, wards removed and my journal in my lap. I distinctly recalled having written more in it, but I attributed it to my little episodes.

Darkness was approaching and still no signs of the scouts. Would they even come? I rose and stepped forward a bit, my eyes tracing out into the darkness that was barely illuminated by the dual moons. The silence was only interrupted by the occasional insect or rustle of the breeze.

I stood there for a long time until.

What was that?

Hooves? Hooves?!

I scanned the area. I don't remember seeing horses the first time. The Inquisition camp wasn't too far from here that they'd need horses. We did, because our main encampment was quite far.

I cast floating lights up into the air, only to catch a speckled horse with a red clothe figure barreling up the hill, blonde hair a streak. EMERIC!

Fuck _shit_ fuck.

I turned and ran back toward the lodge, our leader hot on my tails. "ALON! FRA-" My shriek got cut off as I felt a hand wrap around my throat, crushing and choking.

"Usurper. My own third has turned my second against me." He growled as He tossed me forward and hard against the terrain. I cried as rocks and twigs dug into the side of my face. My hand already reaching for my throat to heal my bruised throat but the fade was lost to me as I felt like I was thrown back again.

"Emeric!" Alon was pushing against the blonde angrily. "Enough! She has not turned me against you."

"Oh? Negotiations with the inquisition, whom hold a known connection to those responsible for the breach? I should have known there was more to her." Emeric spat.

"They are not connected to the breach. She has seen it in a vision." Alon growled back. I managed to crawl up, Frail hefting me up and resting me on the stairs. Gideon and Fabian had come with Emeric and were watching us, weapons drawn. I was gasping, what little magic returned to me was directed to my throat as I watched the scene. Emeric and Alon circling each other, growling.

"She has made you soft."

"She has shown me what she sees."

"Oh and what does she see?"

Alon looked to me then. Big mistake. Emeric drew his weapon, Alon barely managing to catch the attack with his vambrace, betrayal evident.

"Stop!" I croaked. Neither of them paid me any mind. Frail tried to keep me sitting, but I pushed forward.

"We do not negotiate with anyone. These are our hills!"

"You did so with the Chargers!"

"They were a mercenary company. They did not linger."

"The Inquisition won't linger either."

"They will, and they will kill us all for these lands."

"THEY WILL ONLY KILL US ALL, IF YOU KILL THESE SCOUTS!" I managed to yell, my voice raspy and hoarse but the two fighting warriors halted, as did everyone else. "That's… why I don't want you to kill them. I'm trying to protect us." Not true. I didn't know if that would happen but it seemed to get them to listen. I should have said this to start with, it would have made things easier.

"How do you know-"

"I told you, she has seen it. And…" Alon looked to me with a smile. "…she has shown me."

"It's true. She's shown me too." I could tell Alon was lying but Frail was a much better liar than him.

"They will bring their army that is ten… no… one hundred times our size and crush us with as little effort as it takes you to swat a fly." I rasped and looked up at Emeric as he looked between me and Alon, his eyes clouding as he thought.

"Sir?" Fabian asked, stepping forward, "They are coming." He pointed to distant figures that were moving, supposedly. I couldn't see them, but Fabian was sharp. I looked to Frail who nodded his head.

The silence ticked and I worried the scouts would just attack us upon seeing how many of us were here. "Hide yourselves." Emeric finally said.

"What-"

"We will take them as hostages and request negotiations with no less than their leader." Emeric looked to me. "You will attend to them, seeing as how you so greatly desire they do not die."

I nodded. I didn't care, they weren't going to die. This was good news.

I was still healing my throat when the scouts got there, my eyes closing as I didn't want to see them be captured.

Emeric introduced himself, only for Frail, Gideon and Fabian to come out, knocking out three of the scouts. Frail shooting the one that ran and Brig collecting him. It was all done, while I turned toward Alon, my face hidden.

Once they were collected, Emeric had them gagged – I flinched with each gag that was put on. They were bound, which made me whimper, and finally their eyes were covered with a cloth and then slung over the horses to be taken back to the encampment, leaving their weapons and seal behind along with a note for their scouts to come, at my insistence.

Then it was a long trek to the encampment as we had to lead the horses in the dark with torches, as my magic was poured into my throat for the most part.

I felt terrible, knowing we had essentially kidnapped these scouts, but at the same time at least they were alive.


	44. Captives on the Coast

The movies that I remember watching where there were hostages never really go over how nerve wracking it is. Well, then again I'm not some evil villain trying to ask for ransom. Although asking the Herald to kill Emeric in a challenge for leader was kind of like ransom. I digress, it was wracking on my nerves because I was sure I had fucked up somehow.

My four captives never once spoke to me, not even when I asked for their names. Although I did know one of their names, which surprised me.

I was sure Lace Harding wasn't supposed to be one of the scouts to greet the Blades. I distinctly remembered she would be the one to tell the Herald about the missing scouts, yet here she was. Why?

It was day three since we had captured them. How long would it take for word to get to Leliana and thus the Herald? Then how long would it take the Herald to get to the Coast? Would they still be in the Hinterlands? Haven? So many questions.

Anyway, day three and none of my captives were eating or drinking anything I provided them. They were holed up in the new cabin that had been planned to be my new quarters. I had no problem staying in a tent still, especially as Silvie had taken to spending full nights with Emeric which left Alon an opening to sneak into my tent.

Terrible of me, I know, because I realized already I didn't love the ginger. But as a wise ex-Antivan Crow once said, you take your pleasures when you can.

I walked into the cabin to once again see a full plate of cheese and bread and the bucket of water and ladle untouched. The four scouts sat against the far wall. Three of them asleep but Harding was glaring daggers at me. "You know. I haven't poisoned them. They are safe to eat." I said looking her in the eye. They weren't bound but they were chained with shackles on their legs. They'd have to move on their knees to get to the food but at least they still could.

I stared at the water and looked at Harding again who gave a smirk. I opened the cabin door, dragged the bucket out and dumped its contents into the rainy day, then set the bucket to collect rain water. I left the door open and my back turned. Probably a mistake, but I didn't hear them move and when I looked back the other scouts were groggily waking as the sounds of the storm outside were louder and the roar of the dragon overhead was especially loud.

After an hour, the bucket was halfway filled and I pulled it back in. "Okay, unless you think I've somehow poisoned the rain, this is probably the freshest water you'll ever get. Please, for the love of Andraste, drink. And eat. I can't have you guys starve before the Herald rescues you." I pushed the bucket closer to them and dropped the ladle into it.

Harding unconsciously licked her lips when the water was set down. The other scouts looked to her and she nodded. They moved slowly to the bucket and then hungrily drank.

"How do you know the Herald will rescue us?" One of the scouts asked. It was a man with dark skin and light gray eyes, his scout hood drawn to reveal the low ponytail he wore.

" _Hendrick_." Came a stern reprimand from Harding and the man ducked his head to continue drinking. The three scouts, once quenched their thirst, sat back as I sat on a barrel and peered at Harding.

"Aren't you going to drink?" I asked. Slowly Harding came forward and lifted the ladle up and took one drink and then sat back against the wall. I pursed my lips but grabbed the bucket and set it outside to collect rain water again. "You guys should probably eat. You can only last eleven days, give or take, without food. Then you'll starve to death." I said as I pulled a dagger from my belt, noting how they all tensed.

" _Please_. If I was going to kill you, I would have already." I used my knife to cut the cheese up into slices and then ripped chunks from the stale bread. I sat back on the barrel and ate from their portions, openly and obnoxiously to show them I hadn't poisoned anything.

"How do we know you haven't taken the antidote?" Harding's eyes accused me and I frowned.

The door was still open, so I stuck two fingers into my mouth and let out a whistle. "MOAR!"

The scouts looked at me bewildered, at least until a chubby brown but ferocious mabari came bounding in, nub tail wagging excitedly as he saw the cheese in my hands. "Here boy. Have some cheese." I set the entire plate down for the mabari to eat, who took one sniff and then inhaled the whole serving.

"I'll bring more food at midday." I smiled at them as I heard Hendrick's stomach give a low growl. I pulled the bucket back in and left it for them and then dragged the mabari out into the rain.

Well, that was _some_ progress.

Most of the blades didn't understand why I had wanted to save them, but they didn't question me or rather they didn't question Emeric who had taken to leaving me out of the daily updates with Alon. And Alon was being giving a reprimanding look from our leader any time I saw them. But at least the scouts weren't dead.

I sighed as the wind picked up and managed to spot Brig and Frail heading out with Gideon. "Brig!" I called out and the big guy looked at me. I had a favor to ask.

By midday meal the dirt and gravel in the encampment was hard to walk through so I had to set runes down to freeze over the ground. Walking on ice was better than wading through mud. My winter magic wasn't that great. I'd never had much practice but at least I could zip around the encampment with a fade step. Needless to say I became an errand girl for areas that didn't have icy patches.

I don't know how people managed without magic. Then again I had for all of my life up until I came to Thedas. I stepped into the area with the hearth for cooking and looked at Fabian, holding the several bounties the hunting party had brought in.

"Thank you Mer." The dark haired fellow smiled at me as he then set down the cooked fennec fox and cheese I had requested. "You shouldn't spoil them, you know. They are captives after all, not our guests."

"Just being hospitable." I grit out as I refreshed the icy patch outside to ensure people could get here to eat. "Besides, I'd want to be treated well if I were taken captive." I set the meal into a basket and then headed out into the storm again.

I had wondered how the tents managed to stay up, but then I saw the glowing of enchantments at work, making them sturdy and unable to fall over. I suppose having a tranquil in the group made that possible.

I pushed into the cabin to see the scouts huddled close under the furs and blankets I had left them. It was a bit cold. I put the basket down, closed the door and then raised a hand and cast a warming rune in the center of the cabin. "To stay warm." I smiled at them as heat began pouring out of the rune.

I unpacked the basket and set the freshly cooked fox out with cheese and bread and two apples. "Here, pulled in a favor to get you guys a little something more substantial." The smell must have got to them because all four stomachs growled loudly and I smiled.

Harding still wouldn't move but the other three scouts came up and began ripping into the fox, eating. She sat there, glowering at me for a long minute before moving up slowly and then grabbing a slice of cheese and nibbling on that.

I huffed. "Geez, Harding, you sure look a lot hungrier than that." I snapped, fed up with her.

All of them froze and looked to me. "I never told you my name." The head scout fixed me with a hard glare.

"Ahhh… yeah. You haven't but well…" Shit. "Surely the others have told you what they think I am, right?"

She snorted, "That the Herald of Andraste is a false prophet and you are the true chosen." Lace rolled her eyes. "The Herald has been witnessed doing divine and amazing things, where as you… all you've done is demanded we be captives, or so your leader says."

"Emeric's been in here?" Yes because that is what matters.

"He spits in our food." The scouts were quick to speak up now.

"In the water you leave us at night too."

I gulped. I had eaten some of that cheese this morning and Emeric had spat into it? _Gross_.

I frowned. "That… son of a bitch. I'm so sorry. I'll be sure to have a word with him about this."

"Right. As if you weren't the one to request those actions so you can appear the hero. Nice try." Harding tossed the cheese down and the other scouts looked at the food they had ate and moved to sit beside their head scout, scowling.

I sighed. "Look… I'm relatively new to the whole, taking hostages thing. I'm not trying to endear you to me. I just want you guys well cared for while you are under _my_ care. It'd be bad form for me not it. Especially when no doubt Leliana will have me locked up under the Chantry in Haven and she treats me like how I treated you. At least when she won't be torturing me for information." Better make the predictions now. Especially if I am definitely going to stick with the plan of joining with the Inquisition.

It'd be the only place I could go and be reasonably safe considering the state of the world. Stick with the Herald and the future Inquisitor and I'll at least live long enough to ask the questions I want from the only three people that might have answers. Maybe four.

Harding looked at me as I moved forward slowly, an idea in mind.

"In the Hinterlands, when the Herald first arrived, he had a companion ask you if you've ever been to Kirkwall's Hightown." Harding's eyes went a tad wide and I smiled warmly. "That was Master Varric Tethras, one of the Champion's companions." Her response was funny as she blanched. Had she not known? I seem to recall her being a fan of the Champion.

"Well, Varric was trying to make a pun when he learned your name was Harding. It's because he writes a serial, called Hard in Hightown." I smirked when Lace rolled her eyes but Hendrick snorted and chuckled, only to stifled that with one look from Lace. "I'm pretty sure Lady Seeker Cassandra even made a very apparent disgusted sound when he tried and decided not to make the pun, but I think it would have been funny, just not right then, considering the crossroads were under attack by mages and Templars and you had just received word that Mother Giselle would not leave the area without helping the refugees."

A long moment of silence and then- "How… How did. Not even these scouts were there at the time." Lace peered at me suspiciously.

"They call me the Maker's seer. But really, I just know bits and pieces about the future. And I do not claim to be sent by the maker or Andraste. That's their doing." I waved to refer to the Blades. "Nonetheles, it was my idea to take you captive, for that I am sorry. But it was either take you captive, or let them kill you. I much prefer the option of letting you live. So please… eat, and I will handle our Leader's mistreatment of you." I sighed standing up and walking out, leaving Lace to think things through.

I closed and locked the cabin and directed my magic into the ground, freezing it as I walked to my tent. At least I gave her food for thought now.

* * *

I lay awake in bed, slightly sweaty as Alon held me close. My eyes adjusted to the darkness around me as I pulled away from him and climbed out. I'd gotten better at being stealthy. Or maybe because I knew where everything was in my tent. I dressed and waited at the tent flap, listening.

At the swing of a door, I peeked out. Emeric moved toward the cabin my hostages were at and entered, closing the door behind him. The storm was passing, but the faint drizzle drenched me as I slid against the door, pressing my ear to it.

"Agh!"

"The Herald won't come for you. You're nothing but scouts, dispensable pawns." There was a scuffle at Emeric's words.

"You know nothing of the Herald." Lace let out a strangled gasp and then there was more struggling.

I slipped through the door and saw Emeric with his hands wrapped around Lace's throat, holding her up while the other scouts tried to pry him off. Emeric hadn't heard me come in so I stepped up to him, my hand charged up with as much electricity as I could muster and touched his exposed neck. He dropped Harding, shaking violently as I pulsed more electricity into him, but not enough to kill him. _I hope_.

He fell backward on the floor loudly.


	45. Growing Up

_Two faced shite eating bastard!_

My inner Sera bubbled up as I attacked Emeric. It was entirely too enjoyable. Watching him shake and tremor, feeling his pulse die off for just a second before I revived him. Then watching him become unconscious and falling over. My heart raced from the exhilaration, the satisfaction of all this time that he was an utter arsehole and he finally got what he deserved, or close to it.

And then the raspy gasps of Harding had me turning to her and the scouts, who were trying to increase her air flow, her face turning red and edging toward purple with each passing second.

Well, _shit_.

I reached for her but the scouts yanked her away from me. "I'm a healer."

"What healer can fix this?" Hendrick hissed angrily as he tried to lay Lace down.

I growled and pulsed a small mind blast that pushed the three of them away, the shackles making it difficult to get up again. I had no time for this.

I swooped onto Lace, the only time when swooping is good. My hands touched her neck softly and I made eye contact. "I'm sorry he did this to you." I muttered as the familiar green of the fade rippled around me and turned blue as I began healing her crushed windpipe.

Almost immediately her face became less red and she was taking great gulps of air. I concentrated on healing, even when the other scouts tried to pull me away, my other hand swatted at them with a light amount of electricity while I worked. Windpipes were difficult but I wanted to prevent any bruising as well.

In the end, when I pulled away, Harding was rubbing at her throat and peering at me. "I've never been healed with magic before. Does it always feel like that?"

I smiled toothily and sat back, bumping against Emeric's boot in the process. I checked, he was breathing but still very much out. Good. "Not always. I'm a bit of a … special case. I'm a natural at healing."

"And lightning." Hendrick added while pushing at Emeric to be out of the way. "Sorry we tried to stop you."

"S'kay." I mumbled and stood up. "Did he hurt anyone else? I'll heal."

"Just a few bruises." One of the scouts said as she lifted her shirt up to reveal purple bruises in the shape of a hand along her ribs. "They'll take time to heal on their own-"

I cut her off as I placed my hand at her ribs, my magic working wonders as the bruises faded before their eyes.

"Maker's breath."

The silence and awe were unsettling when I pulled away and the scouts look at the now unblemished skin, no trace of the injury or bruising.

"How?" Scout Harding stood up and looked to me.

I always forget how short dwarves are but I smiled. "I told you. I'm a natural at healing." I sighed and then looked toward Emeric. "I didn't know he was actually physically abusing you guys. Had I known…" I frowned and gave Emeric a good kick to his side, he groaned, stirring for just a moment before remaining unconscious. Well, at least I hadn't killed him or drove him into a coma. That would have been very bad.

On the other hand…the moment he woke up…

The bottom of my stomach dropped out. Emeric would be very angry I attacked him. I looked to the scouts. They'd be caught in the crossfire, surely. And after what he just did without any trigger…

"I'm going to let you guys go." I blurted out. They looked up at me.

"You are?"

"When he wakes up… I'm likely going to suffer some very nasty consequences for attacking him." I briefly thought to the backhand he had given me in the other experience, the choking at the lodge. "And if you stayed… he's definitely attack you again." I wouldn't be able to live with myself if they suffered more abuses on my account.

"You could come with us. The Inquisition could always use skilled mages, especially healers." Lace Harding stepped to me, as best she could anyway with the shackles on her feet. I bit my lip.

I wanted to. I really did and it would be the safer option for me. I could easily sneak off into the night with them maneuver around the scouting outposts and get them back to their camp. Then I'd wait the justice the Herald would bring down but that would leave Alon, Frail, Brig, Alise, and Yvette. I still wanted to see Jany and Mira, too.

 _No_.

There were too many people I cared about still here and I wouldn't doom them to be possibly slaughtered. They had become a sort of family for me here.

"Of that I am sure of. But not yet. Just make sure the Herald comes to challenge Emeric and not slaughter everyone here. The rest of the Blades are very nice, Emeric is just…." I looked to my fallen leader and frowned. "Damaged." I sighed. "And I still have people I care about here. I won't leave them behind unless I'm absolutely sure they are safe and have given their loyalty to the Herald." I pulled a key from my boot and began undoing their shackles.

"What makes you think that they'll be loyal to the Herald?" Harding asked and I smirked.

"I've left a Crest at the meeting place. The one where we ambushed you guys. It's a sign for the Blades, whichever outsider wears it, will be recognized as a challenger." I explained.

"Challenger?" Hendrick asked.

"You intend for the Herald to wear it? So he'd challenge your leader? For what?" Harding sighed once the shackles were removed from her legs.

"For the rite to lead." I smiled as Lace stretched her legs out, rotating her foot. I sent a burst of magic that way to make the cramp less cumbersome and repeated my actions for each of the scouts. "But he has to wear the crest. I have no doubt in my mind that the Herald will win against Emeric. And once he does, the current Blades will swear their loyalty to the new leader." I sat back once they were all freed of their shackles.

"How do we sneak out?" Lace jumped right into it, fixing her scout clothes after being force to her knees for several days. Her hood going up and her gloves pulled on.

"Sneaking out shouldn't be a problem. It's getting past our scout outposts and going around the rifts that will be the issue." I explained. "Wait… here. I'll be right back." Quickly, I slipped back into my tent and tiptoed to my double chest, careful not to stir Alon. I pulled out the copy of the map I had made of the coast, with the rift locations and outposts marked. I hadn't updated it since after the Breach but this would be more than enough. I slid everything back in place and tiptoed back out. Stealth 101 with Frail was handy.

"I have a map. It's got the locations of the rifts in the area as well as our outposts. You need to avoid both." I entered the cabin to see Lace putting a shackle on Emeric's legs and pulling his daggers off his person. "Um?"

"I'm going to put the shackles on you too. That way it will look like we took you both out. Hopefully you won't suffer too much?" Lace gave me a reassuring smile. I'd have never thought of this. Conniving, and smart as well.

Hendrick stepped up to me. "Sorry about this."

"About what-" The blow came quick to my head and I stumbled backward and was caught by one of the other scouts. They lowered me to the floor.

"It'll be believable if you show signs of being harmed." Lace stared into my face and I grunted. She grabbed my hand and pat it. "The Herald will come, I'll make sure of that. He and I have gotten along previously and he is a good man."

I tried to nod as I felt the shackles clamped around my ankles and I was propped up next to Emeric. They took the map from the floor and I groaned as I watched them look out of the cabin and into the night before they slipped out. I hoped they made it back to their camp alright. I closed my eyes as the door swung with the wind.

* * *

Someone was shaking me. "Blasted woman, wake up. They've escaped."

"What?" I groaned as I finally blinked awake, the dim early light of morning streaming in from the open doorway. The cold wind bursting in. I shivered underneath the fur that had been placed over me. I shifted and grunted when I felt my head was imbalanced, the swelling knot throbbed in pain.

"Maker… they got you, too." Emeric's voice muttered as I felt my head cradled.

"What happened?" I groaned as fingers pressed to the knot, a pain lancing through me and I emitted a hiss.

"Our captives caught me unawares when I came to check on them for the night."

Check on them? More like abuse them. I bit my tongue as memories of Lace Harding propping me up and a promise from her as she slipped out into the night. They were safe? I can only hope they were.

"It's mostly fuzzy. I was…." Emeric continued as I slowly sat up, hand glowing as I healed the knot at my head. I watched him. "I was in here… and then." I watched as he pieced it together. His eyes tracking the room to where he had been choking Lace to where he woke up. "You… when. _You._ " He fixed me with a glare just as two pairs of footsteps entered the cabin.

"Emeric, you didn't return last night…" Silvie gave me an appraising look.

"Mercy?" Alon looked at me, he flicked his gaze to Emeric and then to my slowly disappearing bump on the head and then he halted. "Where are the captives?

"It appears they escaped." Emeric was shucking off his shackles and standing. He glowered at me.

"After they attacked you both? Goodness!" Silvie fluttered close to Emeric, hands checking him to ensure he was safe.

Alon knelt by me, holding my hand steady as I healed myself. He leveled me with a gaze, one eyebrow quirked questioningly but he had knowing look in his eyes. "You're not very stealthy." He whispered and pressed a kiss to my temple.

We both looked to Emeric as he stumbled up, and pushed Silvie away. "She-"

"She's alright, despite the attack on her person. They must have planned this entire time to have caught you both off guard." Alon helped me to my feet. "We highly underestimated them."

"Damn the Inquisition." Silvie hissed. I remained silent, watching Alon and Emeric closely. Would Emeric come clean to me attacking him? Would Alon speak up about my sneaking out of the tent? "Mercy, how are you dear? How's your head? You're not too groggy to check on Emeric?"

"What?" I looked to Silvie sharply, as did Emeric.

"I'm _fine._ " Emeric's glare intensified but he brushed past all of us and out of the cabin. Silvie following after him. The cabin door closed behind her, leaving me alone with Alon who pulled me into his arms.

"Whose idea was it to leave you with this?" He pressed the bump on my head lightly.

"What?" I feigned innocence.

"Mercy." He leveled me with his gaze again. "You are quite terrible at stealth. I thought perhaps you meant to retrieve water or use the latrine but you returned only to leave again, so I followed you and you do have a habit of forgetting to close doors behind you." Alon smiled at me.

"You saw?"

"I did. While I don't… agree with your method, I'm pleased you didn't kill him, even if you could have, easily as it would seem." He smiled.

"You're not mad?" This was baffling. Why didn't he stop me? After all the trouble I put us through to spare them.

"You are the Maker's Seer." I groaned at him but he laughed lightly. "You have shown me your visions. I _trust_ you."

"But… the inquisition?"

"If you believe the Inquisition is truly not here to harm us, then I believe you. But… this Herald." Alon frowned. "He may be an imposter, do you know if-"

"He's the Herald of Andraste. Andraste's chosen. Without a doubt." I didn't need him or any of the Blades doubting that when the time came, didn't need them doubting or turning against the Herald.

"Then that is all that is needed." Alon tucked my hair back and pressed another kiss to my forehead. "Come, let us get you some poultice and potion for that, as I'm sure you cannot concentrate enough to heal it properly." Alon grabbed my hand and led me out. I nodded and followed along, once the shackles were removed of course. My head was elsewhere too.

I really hoped Harding and the scouts made it back to their camp alright.

Once ushered to the healer's tent, Alon pulled out the poultice and applied it to my bump and had me drink a potion as well before collecting our morning meals and leaving me to do his duties. An interesting start to the day and one I really didn't want to repeat. Concussions are serious business, being knocked out from a blow to the head, _soo bad for you_. So once I was at least able to concentrate, I went to healing. I didn't know much about the brain, never examined one on earth. So I just hoped the potions, poultice and the very presence of healing magic was enough to prevent any minor case of **serious** brain damage. And hopefully I won't be jumping when someone asks me to say apple.

While in the healer's tent, I read a few more books I had set aside and when I felt more myself, and like I could walk without swaying, I ventured out into the encampment. Emeric was instructing the handful of scouts not already on duty of who to look for. Our captives had escaped and yet none of the guards on duty had seen them slip out, no scout had spotted them.

That was strange. I figured they would have run into problems with the guards at least, yet none of them had been injured or knocked out. I caught the eye of Frail and Gideon, who had been the scouts on duty last night. Frail gave me a smirk and Gideon's eyes flicked to Alon who was standing off to the side with his typical book, scribbling away.

I looked back to Gideon and he smiled at me, before crossing his arms. I noticed Brig not too far off, and Anna, and Fabian who were all smiling softly whenever they looked at me. Anna, the little grump had been smiling at ME. _Me._ Someone she always showed no positive mood toward.

I would have questioned it but the sounds of a carriage and horses drew everyone's attention to the gates, where one sorry eyed traveler sat. "OH! It is good to be back. Never thought I'd say that about the coast." Delphine's Antivan accent called out. He looked around and then frowned. "Well, don't all help me at once, considering I did get everything you all _requested._ " At that the cart was surrounded by the Blades, clamoring for the personal items each of them had requested. I hung back, watching the chaos as even Emeric stepped up to help doll out the goods.

"Alon."

"Hmm?"

"Did you direct the guards' attention elsewhere last night?" I looked at him as he paused in his scribbling.

"Why would you think that?" His lip twitched. "That would be unethical of me, and would most assuredly be me going against our very righteous and _never wrong_ leader." He laid it on thick as he closed the book and then grinned to me.

"You're growing up right before my eyes, young man." I sniffed with a laugh. His eyes twinkled as he stepped away from me to join the fray.

* * *

 **GreaterGoodIreland** , I SHALL WITNESS YOU AS YOU RIDE OFF TO THE GATES OF VALHALLA SHINY AND CHROME!

Anyway, yes. Tased!

 **Atsirk** **Enoh** , That was satisfying to write honestly. It felt sooo good to give him a little retribution for all the suffering he's put Mercy through.

 **5** **Coloured Walker** , It's going to slow down but it shouldn't interfere with later posting unless I need to take a break when things get busy irl.

 **Skymoon18** , Thanks Skymoon! I'm glad you're enjoying it. Emeric did get what he deserved.

 **Poppet0** , It's good to have you here Poppet! I'm pleased you like this story so much. But as this is a slow burn I'm probably still going to take suggestions for LIs as it progresses as we're still a bit a ways off from any sort of romance. So your suggestion has been taken into account.

 **helenGet** , Thank you so much!


	46. How Pride Met Mercy

_9:41 Dragon, 17th of Guardian_

 _It's been five months since I've arrived. Surprisingly that stretch of time has moved very fast, but I suppose that has more to do with the fact there is no shortage of work around here. And because I can entertain myself with magic._

 _Let that sink in. Magic._

 _If anyone from Earth ever reads this, they'd think I was crazy or a magician. Actually hey wait, I wonder if I can use my magic like a magician-_

I stood up from my makeshift desk in my sparsely furnished cabin. I held my hands out and gripping my quarter staff in one, I tried to make flowers appear at the end of the quarter staff.

A burst of electric sparks was my only reward. Sighing, I sat back down, picked up my quill and dipped it in the ink pot. I spread open the vellum again and wrote.

 _Never mind, I was a shitty hobbyist magician on Earth anyway._

I puffed out my cheeks as I looked over the vellum and all previous entries. Mostly it was a laundry list of things I remembered from Earth that would be handy here. Like my old space heater from my apartment. Of course that then went into how electricity would be great, and no not electricity from my hands. Although that broke off into a tangent if the electricity I produced could be harnessed, could I power my space heater?

Pretty much for the last two weeks I've went off on tangents in my own vellums about the possibilities of Earth technology on Thedas. Not that it'd make any difference. I was an artist, not an engineer or a mechanic. I'd have no way of actually producing this stuff here. Although if someone could make a washer and dryer, it'd probably be the dwarves.

Tilting my head, I picked up my quill. " _Note to self, talk to Varric about automatic laundry mechanisms if they do not already exist via runes or enchantment._ "

Once the ink was dried, I rolled up my vellums and stuck them in the holder. I had several of these now, thanks to Delphine. As much as I liked the bundle of parchments sewn together from my book, this was a much safer, and more secure way of holding my journal entries. It kept them dry because these vellums were used by scholars to hold their research and keep out the elements. They were also enchanted in some cases. These weren't, obviously. These were just spares from the wreckage of Kinloch Hold, which I was more than happy to use. Delphine had managed to come across mages who had too much to carry and had purchased them for me.

Of course, that was two weeks ago. Two weeks since I let the scouts go and no word. No sign of the Inquisition on these hills here, either.

Emeric still hated me, still suspected me of attacking him but there isn't much he can do considering I now had my own cabin, on his insistence originally. He couldn't go back on that and he couldn't go back on his claim that I was divine or sent by the Maker. And there was no way he could say I attacked him, not without revealing what he had been doing to our captives. Apparently his actions were against the way the Blades typically treat any captives they take. Effectively, the man screwed himself over.

Nonetheless, the Inquisition was nearly nonexistent on the coast. There was the trace of their old camp, when our scouts were tracking for them, but nothing was there. Just a vague sense that someone had camped there and then left. We had no idea where they went. _I_ had no idea.

Sighing, I set my vellums into my double chest, beneath my clothes and snuffed the glowing light out with a wave. My only light source in the cabin was the hearth, which Alon had refreshed. Speaking of.

"Coming to bed?" The ginger asked from his side of our conjoined cots.

I'd reasoned with Emeric, saying the cabin could be used by two people. It was spacious and left another tent for the others to use. The leader hadn't liked it, but Alon also agreed so the cabin was ours. Even if Silvie pitched a fit.

So Alon and I shared the cabin in domesticity. If you can call it that. We had our makeshift desk of a raised table and stool with our writing implements and we each had our own chest of clothes, and we each had an armor stand, and Alon had his weapon stand. There was a small table with two stools, the hearth and our cots which we had pushed close together on the far wall in the center.

"Yeah." I yawned, dragging myself over and kicking my boots off and climbing in next to him.

 _It's just comfort,_ I told myself as Alon wrapped his arms around me and I settled against him. Comfort, familiarity, and warmth that's all this was. We hadn't even coupled in over a week. I had to distance us anyway. I will be joining the Inquisition and Alon _won't_ be joining me.

* * *

The Fade. I knew it was by the lack of smell and the sudden feeling of being watched. Only it wasn't the familiar rocky landscapes with building parts floating. There was the Breach but this part of the fade I was in was not the usual. It was a woods, large towering trees that only barely managed to block out the breach when they were clumped together.

I wasn't in the clothes I went to sleep in either. I was in a dress, long flowing, white and green with vestments and a sling of arrows at my belt. Could I be in my head again? "Cole?" My voice became visual, reverberating around me in waves. "Cole are you here?"

No response.

I looked around me sharply, worriedly. Was this a demon's doing?

"What manner of spirit are you?" A faintly familiar voice called and as I turned I was met by one eggceptional elf. Only I knew he was much more than an elf.

Solas. Fen'harel. Whichever you preferred to call him, stood before me. In the _fade_ and he was asking me what kind of spirit I was?

"Do not be frightened." He took a step toward me, hand out. Instinctively I stepped back. "I mean no harm."

Yeah, right. Suuuuure. I narrowed my eyes at the Dread Wolf. Was it actually him? I took his appearance in, the obvious wolf jaw hanging from his neck, the pajama tunic and leggings that didn't cover his feet entirely. His bald head and pointed ears and those eyes, the cleft chin.

This _could_ be just a memory of mine. But I'm pretty sure I never heard Solas ask a spirit a question like that.

"You are unusual…" Solas stepped closer slowly, hand out and I saw his magic, the fade reacting instantly as he tried to do something, I wasn't sure what. I stepped further back and he lowered his hand.

"I get that a lot." I looked up at him. His brows rose and then they furrowed as he stared at me. "I'm Mercy. And you. You are Solas." He was tall for an elf, an inch or two over me. Then again I knew he was more than just an elf.

"I have never met a spirit of mercy before." He slipped his hands behind his back in the familiar authoritative way I remembered from the game. He thought me a spirit? He couldn't tell? Isn't he the number one Fade Nerd of Thedas?

I felt the fade around us shift, the towering trees shrinking and the Breach became visible, if only for a second, as the landscape became filled with buildings. Winding towers, vine covered walls and gold embossed leaves decorations. Wispy figures came in and out. Solas not once stopped staring at me inquisitively. Was it actually Solas?

There were faint sounds coming in. Music? I stepped away from Solas, much as I'd have liked to ask him questions, the memory around us was more interesting. I stepped into one of the large halls that had appeared. These buildings were large for Thedas but not for me. I had grown up with skyscrapers and these were little more than a few stories tall to me.

The wispy figures came into focus at moments as conversation faded in and out. I could see flowing robes and elaborate adornments on some but nothing concrete.

"What is this?" The music I heard was faint but I couldn't find the musicians or the instruments.

"Do you not know?" Solas's voice was too close. I turned to see him barely a breaths distance from me. I stepped away. I didn't like his close proximity, something very off about that.

"No." This wasn't how I'd imagine my first interaction with Solas going. Something a bit less… fade related actually. Perhaps maybe located in Haven as well. But beggars can't be choosers.

"This is a fortress. This memory is of the eve of battle between knights of two conflicting…" He paused and then looked to me. "…clans."

Some of the wispy figures came into focus. Words spoken that I couldn't understand but the emotions. Fear, pride, and most of all determination were evident as they prepared for battle. The music was meant to distract, to soothe but all it did was paint an eerie picture as the figures stood in armor, blades ready, magic arcing from their finger tips and then the gates to the fortress opened.

The music faded as I walked out of the fortress and out into the battlefield. I was armored now and I joined the fray of clashing clans. As bodies fell, they disappeared and as I moved further away, I could see those who had come from the fortress were losing.

"It's interesting a spirit of mercy would cling to this memory." Solas had kept up. "As there was none had at this battle, as I recall." He stepped up to a large statue that overlooked the battle and for once wasn't looking at me. The statue was of a hooded winged figure that I didn't recognize. One hand raised and pointed to beyond what the memory presented.

"Who were the two warring clans?" I asked but Solas was gazing past the statue. I stepped up to watch two knights facing each other. One knight had a cape made of feathers and the other was adorned with a shape similar to a star. Their swords and magic clashed.

They encircled each other, almost evenly matched as the two clans warred behind us as well. But the two knights were _not_ evenly matched. The feathered one would often be pushed down, wounds inflicted and he staggered through the battle. I could hear him heaving, breath heavy with exertion until-

I turned away knowing the star marked knight had executed the feathered knight. I faced the large battle as they became clearer as well. Similarly star marked ones one each face off and soon there was no feathered warriors and mages, only star marked ones.

"Solas? Who were the two warring clans?" I turned to the elf but he was beyond the statue now, walking toward three hooded wispy figures. One resembled the statue, the other two… I wasn't sure. I followed after him only for the one figure to angrily depart from the other two, his form shifting and taking into the skies and out of the memory. The wings of an owl stretching wide from where he had been. Shapeshifter?

As I got closer the two other figures disappeared. I only caught a faint glimpse of yellow eyes and a horned crown. The memory faded around us and I stood in the clothes I had went to sleep in. Solas was pensive as he looked down and then he was looking up at me. "Why did you show me this memory, spirit of mercy?"

"What?" I looked at him, my brows rose up high and eyes wide. "I didn't show you this." He tilted his head. "And…I'm _not_ a spirit."

His eyes flashes several emotions and then his eyes became grey briefly. "What are you?"

"I'm…" My voice faded and Solas faded as well.

* * *

I was in my cot, alone. The furs and blankets practically swallowed me with no one to share it with. I blinked away my sleepiness, rubbing the sand out of my eyes.

"Ah good, you're awake!" Alon was dressed and was pulling his boots on. He walked toward me, leaning over and pressing a kiss to my forehead. "I couldn't rouse you so I let you sleep." His hand caressed my cheek but I frowned.

What kind of Fade dream was that? Had that actually been Solas?

"Best wake, we've received word from the North Camp." Alon continued speaking ad I sat up and went through my own morning routine.

Chamberpot, magic to brush my teeth (Yvette is a godsend), wash my face, managed my hair, dress. It was methodical at this point. It helped that Alon always retrieved our breakfast for us to enjoy in here in the warmth rather than out there in the cold. But the days were warming and spring was upon us. Although it still got cold at night.

"What did the North Camp have to say?" I said over my embrium tea.

"The Chargers are leaving the coast. Oh, there was a missive for you as well, from Bull." Alon looked to me and I frowned.

"For me? Specifically?" He nodded at me and I frowned even more as Alon slid an already unrolled bit of parchment. Everything went through Alon first. Mostly so he can figure out what was important to tell Emeric.

I pulled the parchment and looked it over. "To Mercy. Good job. Soon. The Iron Bull."

* * *

 **5 Coloured Walker** , Honestly there are a few characters I think Mercy would squeal over but she's sort of becoming desensitized to the world. Like she knows she's going to meet them. Iron Bull was a surprise for her, especially that soon which probably attributed to her fangasm. Where as Scout Harding was a whole other circumstance.

Don't get too hyped about the fight between the Herald and Emeric.

 **Ripper1337** , Next Chapter, we get a very BRIEF look at the Herald.

 **Atsirk** **Enoh** , It earns her some points for Leliana, not a lot. If that isn't too much of a spoiler.

 **GreaterGoodIreland** , All Alistair references are funny to me. Now to work in a cheese one.

 **A. G. DuBois** , Funnily enough, that reference wasn't planned but it came to me mid-writing so I threw it in. It fit in quite well.


	47. End of An Era

I rose to face Alon. I needed to tell him, even if he essentially knew at this point. I had to be open about it. "Alon, I'm going to join them." I swallowed. "The Inquisition. When they come, I'm going to join them as they leave the Coast."

"I know." His lips twitched downward but he tried to remain impassive. "I've… known for quite some time. I had hoped…" He sighed, grabbing my hand and tilting my face up to rest our foreheads together. "I had hoped you might stay. F-for me."

I met his gaze, his brows were furrowed, a sadness about them as they glistened. Flecks of green and gold that much more apparent as we stared at each other. How do you break up with someone in Thedas? "And…I need to leave you." His grip tightened and his breath held for a moment.

"I knew this wasn't…" He dropped it off but smiled. "We were just together for…"

"Comfort?" I offered and he huffed a laugh as he buried his face into my neck, clutching me to him in a hug. I wrapped my arms around him, rubbing his back. "Come." I pulled away and he sighed.

Afterwards I didn't have much time to think about anything else, not even the fade dream I had with Solas. Though I would have liked to linger on the supposed memory, I had to concentrate on collecting the things I would take. I was going to leave my horrendously white robe behind. Perhaps Alise or Yvette would take it. But everything else would come with me. Clothes, vellums, journal, sketchbook, my compact mirror, and my staffs, which all, surprisingly fit into one bag. I rolled up one fur and put it in the bag as well. You never know when you might need more warmth.

I set the bag aside and walked out, only to see a flurry of activity. Emeric was barking orders at a group of scouts that had come in and Alon stood at attention taking everything in.

"Tell me, Hannel. What did you see?" Hannel was a scout from the South Camp, back before the Breach and I rarely interacted with him outside of meal times. He looked shaken and pale but awestruck. His eyes flicked to me briefly but returned to Emeric quickly. I stepped toward the group, leaning against my staff.

"I saw them… Him. The Herald of Andraste. It is as they say, sir. He… he can close the rifts. I saw him battle the demons and then a great green light came from him and then the rift was gone." The group around them hushed. "I went to examine once the Herald and his party left, but there was nothing. No trace of the rift, not a demon in sight. The area was… safe again."

"That's four of the ten rifts, Emeric. Need you more proof?" Alon stepped toward the man and Emeric scoffed.

"Magic. And from an Oxman no less." Emeric growled and then turned to Hannel.

"Sir. There was something else." Hannel wrung his hands and then looked to me, a second too long because Emeric looked at me and scowled. "He wore the Mercy Crest."

* * *

The encampment was quiet and cleared of the usual bustle of activity. The mabari tucked away in the stables, save for Growlith and Dog. Both of which sat beside Emeric at his throne. I peered at them, as they were outfitted with collars and painted with blue stripes along their fur.

I stood beside Alon, who stood a few feet from the throne, looking forward. He was outfitted in his least worn down arms and armament. The blues and white brighter, bringing out his features. He was clean shaven, his ginger hair combed back neatly.

The entire camp had done the same. They were dressed in their best with their swords and daggers sharpened. Shields cleaned and buffed. Men were either cleanly shaven or trimmed. And all women had braids in their hair, if they had long hair and were given a bit of kohl to smear on and around our eyes. Silvie said it was tradition, to make us look that much fiercer and sharper as women. I had most of my hair braided and tied back. My white robe was on and the brightest blue shirt I owned beneath it and my bladed staff in my hands. A handful of potions and my grimoire on my belt.

The clearing in the center of the encampment was cleared, the firepit cleaned up so I could now feel the harsh cold. My fennec fox fur gloves did nothing for the chill and I was advised to not put my hood up.

The wind howled as we waited. Emeric had his large sword ready, his own beard trimmed and red armor practically gleaming in the dull afternoon light.

The main gates opened and I could feel the air tense as Blades peeked out of their tents. Those of us allowed to remain outside turned to watch as they entered. A qunari, a Vashoth in the lead as he led in a procession four behind him. The Mercy Crest gleamed green and blue on the lapel of his jacket.

The Herald was tall, as expected of a vashoth. His skin was a light bronze and there was a smattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks. His eyes a piercing orange gold as he looked around the encampment. He had high cheekbones, his lips pouty, and his jawline was strong, defined and slim.

His horns were dark grey and large, curling back and then forwards and up, like a ram. They were bare of any metal adornments but there were two red strings attached to one of them. His eyebrows were black, as was the stubble along his cheeks and jaw, but his hair was greyish white. He wore it in a mohawk style with a tuft hanging forward and slightly over one eye. it was plastered over his brows from the misty afternoon.

He wore an apprentice robe with one metal vambrace and pauldrons on one arm and his other arm was bare. His staff had a scythe with a crystal at one end and a large blade at the other.

I gaped at him, just now taking in the bits of makeup he wore and the vitaar as well. His eyes popped because we wore kohl as well but on top of that he wore a design with his vitaar. I didn't know what any of them meant but there were three lines over his nose in bright, stark white, and lines along his cheek to accentuate his cheekbones. A single line traced down over his lips, chin and all the way down to his jaw and neck where more designs were but I didn't get to see exactly what they looked like as he stepped up.

Adaar was a very gorgeous vashoth. I'd been so focused on him, I didn't register the rather larger than I expected party behind him.

I spotted Iron Bull, his Edge over his shoulder. I could see Varric Tethras, his typically leather duster jacket over his red and gold tunic, gold ring necklace laying amidst his chest hair and Bianca strapped to his back. I spotted Solas, who didn't seem to notice me at all, considering we had encountered each other in the fade. Or perhaps the elf refused to look at me?

And there was one more person. An elf whom I didn't recognize.

She was a Dalish elf, the vallaslin of Mythal, at least I think it was, over her face. Dark olive skin with black asymmetrical hair matted down by the mist, half of which were in tight braids that pulled her hairline back which accentuated the intense look she gave everything. Her yellow-green eyes swiveled around the camp, her ears perked in attention. She had two shortswords strapped to her back and wore a scout's jacket but she was barefoot, as was Solas.

Who was she?

"So you would challenge the Blades of Hessarian?" Emeric's booming voice drew my attention back toward the Herald, who looked down at Emeric, hesitation evident. "Or did you expect me to stand down because you're an oxman?"

Adaar's face screwed in disgust and I heard Bull grunt in disapproval. "You…" The Herald paused and he looked at the mabari who were in battle stances, growling and ready to lunge forward. He cringed, looking at them sadly. He wrung his hands.

Was he nervous?

"Y-you kidnapped scouts of the Inquisition, taking them captive." He paused, taking a steadying breath. "You abused our scouts. If not for the kindness of one of your own, they would have surely died in your care. I come here only to negotiate the use of these hills and coast so that I- so that I may close the rifts and… yeah j-just that." The Herald's voice shook a bit toward the end. He _was_ nervous, if his stuttering was any indication. His accent was like mine. Free Marcher, but to me all I heard was a fellow America and by the Maker it was comforting.

I caught the eye of Iron Bull, and he grinned at me when Adaar spoke about my supposed kindness.

"The Blades of Hessarian do **not** negotiate. You bear the Mercy Crest, so that marks you as a challenger." Emeric growled, pulling his Blade of Mercy out. Too many things were named Mercy in this cult, which was another reason to leave.

"Do we _have_ to involve the mabari?" Adaar pleaded as the dogs pawed at the ground, sensing the rising tension.

"Yes." Emeric growled, letting out a battle cry and immediately the fade ripped away from the area as he purged it.

The Herald, as a testament to his skills had already threw himself backwards out of range. He's faught templars before.

The mabari went to push forward but Dog was pinned back against the perimeter fence with a single bolt embedded in him and Growlith was silenced almost instantly by the Dalish elf's short swords. Solas and Bull stayed out of the fight, watching as the Herald cast a single winter's grasp that made encased ice around Emeric's legs, immobilizing him.

Emeric used his sword to hack at the ice but the battle was very obviously over then as a large crack of truly powerful lightning crashed down on Emeric, stunning him. Adaar charged forward, his staff twirled in his hands and the end blade pierced right through him once, and was yanked out. Blood spilled and Emeric gave a single nod in acknowledgement and fell forward, his blade clattering to the floor.

Even against a Templar magic looked terrifying. With practice I could one day fight like that, if i wanted to that was.

I looked to Alon, who was tense as he took in Emeric's prone corpse, blood pooling out. His eyes glistened momentarily before he blinked them away and looked up at the Herald. He was going to be okay.

I turned my attention toward where Dog was pinned and let out a small whimpering cry as I realized he wasn't dead. Growlith was gone already so there was nothing I could do for him. I ran out, the Herald's group tensed at my intrusion, probably expecting an attack but I ignored them in favor of Dog. I'd raised him. He whimpered when he felt me, suddenly he was a puppy again, still a puppy in my eyes.

I teared easily over Dog, but not over Emeric. "Oh, Dog." My voice shook as I pet him, my hand clasped over the bolt, trying to pull it out. I couldn't put enough force behind my pull.

"Here, let me." An all too familiar voice said and a hand patted my shoulder. I looked behind to see Varric who smiled at me sadly and I nodded as he pulled the bolt out. A gush of blood rushing out of the canine. I didn't waste any time. My hands pressed to him. "There isn't anything…" Varric's voice trailed off as the wound on Dog visibly healed in front of him. Dog whimpered less as I pushed my magic into internal healing.

I pulled at the Fade and shushed Dog as he wiggled beneath my hands and then he was licking my face gratefully. I giggled, wiping my tears. Dog went and sniffed at Growlith's corpse, whimpering as he laid his head on it, mourning his sibling. Not once did I look at Emeric, nor did Dog.

I turned to look at the group behind me. Varric was smiling at me which turned to a smirk as he noticed where my eyes were. His chest hair was at my eye level as I was still kneeling on the ground. I gave him an appreciative look. "My eyes –"

"Are up there? But your thick chest hair is so magnificent, Master Tethras. I just want to run my fingers through it." I couldn't help snickering at Varric's dumbfounded expression. The Herald had been trying to hold his laughter in until a snort slipped out and then his hand was over his mouth, stifling it as he peered at me and Varric.


	48. Weapon of Peace

"Your worship." Alon stepped up to the snorting with laughter qunari, who cringed at the title. Alon's expressions schooled and body stiff. The brief reprieve I had created ended as the seriousness of what just happened finally settled. Blades were beginning to trickle out of the tents but they didn't stray too close. Brig, Fabian and Gideon stepped forward all somber expressions. Frail was busy consoling Silvie whose cheeks ran wet but she made no sound, her gaze on where Emeric's body lay.

"The Blades of Hessarian are at your service. I am Alon, the lieutenant here. If you want eyes on the coast, here we are. But it will take a few hours to inform all of our camps of the change in leaders. And there is the matter of…"Alon trailed off and his gaze turned toward Emeric as well.

Adaar sobered and frowned. "Oh. Yes. I've not heard of the Blades of Hessarian, outside of the notes I found."

"Notes?" Alon's brow quirked.

"Yes, in our travels north of here, we came across a…lodge of sorts with some notes and this." Adaar pointed to the Crest he still wore. Alon looked at the crest and his gaze hardened as he turned to me. It dawned on him that this is what I had been planning all along. I swallowed, nervously taking a step back. I may have failed to mention to him that my intentions were for Emeric to be killed. "Though I could hardly understand them, almost as though it were written by a child…"

My cheeks burned. My literacy in written common was less than stellar.

Okay, perhaps it was poor. It's not like I had much practice with it and I reverted back to English when writing in my journals anyway.

"Even I could barely understand it." Varric stepped up with a chuckle. "Killer here had to read it out loud several times for us to get the meaning."

Alon's gaze turned to me again, as did Adaar and Varric as they followed his cue. Alon's smirk was brief, even if he was still angry at me.

"Sorry. I'm not very good with written common." I blurted out, cheeks blazing hot as embarrassment washed over me. Varric Tethras, _the Varric Tethras;_ author of the Tale of the Champion, Swords and Shields, and Hard in Hightown just said my written common was so bad it had to be read out loud to be understood, if at that.

I needed elfroot for that burn.

Adaar was looking at me, really looking at me. His eyes wide open and staring at me with a calculating look. Or was that a curious look? He turned back to Alon. "Is there anything you would normally do in a situation like this?"

"We have our traditions. It is up to you if we follow them of course."

"Follow your traditions, please. I don't want you guys changing anything just because…I killed your former boss." At Adaar's words Alon signaled Brig, Fabian, and Gideon to come collect Emeric.

"Then allow me to welcome you to our main encampment. There are a few things we must discuss, but for the time being if you would allow me to join my fellows in…disposing of our former leader."

"Oh. Yes, go ahead. We have to go back to camp anyway-" Adaar fumbled.

Iron Bull stepped up. "You can camp here, you know. It belongs to you now." Adaar's shoulders tensed but he looked at the Ben-Hassrath like he'd said something he hadn't considered.

"I wouldn't want to impose… this is their home."

"What the Iron Bull says is true. Our camps are your camps now, your worship." Alon looked to me. "Mercy, prepare the cabins for the Herald and his… party as well as show them around while we attend to the traditions."

"We don't mean to keep her away from paying her respects either."

"I wouldn't want to anyway." I stepped up as Alon backed out with a bow. As I turned I noted how Solas watched me closely for a moment before returning to an impartial appearance. Odd. "I didn't exactly hold loyalty towards him." I faced Adaar and held my hand out. "It is really great to finally meet you. I'm Mercedez Byrde, but Mercy will do. And your name?"

Adaar started at my hand, like he wasn't used to people doing that anymore. "Adaar. Er sorry Kost Adaar."

"Kost Adaar. The Herald of Andraste. Or so says the Andrastians. Do you even like that title?" I looked up at him determinedly. He had cringed when referred to as your worship and Varric had called him Killer. Was that his nickname for him? I wonder why.

"Not particularly." Kost shook my hand slowly, tentatively.

"Thought so. You're pretty easy to read, even for someone as oblivious as me." I smiled brightly at him. "It is…so good to meet you, Kost." I used his given name specifically and he gave me a small shy smile.

"You sound like you've been expecting me?"

"I have. But the details are a part of a long…long… _long_ story. I'll tell it to you in Haven."

"You'll be joining us? The Inquisition, that is." At my nod he looked awed and then he smiled. "But why Haven?"

"I'd prefer to tell my story once. And get all the questions out in one sitting. Also preferably with Leliana, Lady Ambassador Montilyet and Commander Cullen Rutherford present. And I assume the Lady Seeker Cassandra Pentaghast would be there. As well as any of your closest companions."

Perhaps I should have waited, because Kost looked at me suspiciously. His eyes guarded as he took me in again, this time trying to find something he missed. "Are you a spy as well? Varric?" The Vashoth turned toward the storyteller who was already assessing me with a critical eye. Why would he turn to Varric and not Iron Bull? Is it because he doesn't trust Bull yet?

"Aside from the fact that she reads like a book, I doubt she'd be a spy. She shows all her emotions and thoughts. It's almost _too_ easy." Varric eyed me, his leather gloved fingers tapped his chin. "But I don't think I've met you. How'd you know my name?"

"Who _hasn't_ heard of Varric Tethras? From the Tale of the Champion to Hard in Hightown and even _Swords and Shields_?" It was going to be fun asking for a copy of that last one. I was particularly interested in that if only to get on Cassandra's good side.

Okay and maybe because I also _liked_ reading smutty literature.

Varric gave a groan at that last one.

"This is Solas." Adaar seemed to be placated and dispensed with the rest of the introductions. Solas gave me a terse smile with a simple inclined head to acknowledge me before he turned away. "And this is Lyna."

Lyna was the Dalish. She looked me up and down openly before extending her hand in a greeting. "How did you manage to heal a deadly wound?" We shook hands and she went right into business. She had a voice that was all lilting and melodious. Her eyes were her most drawing feature as they were large and when directed at you seemed to grow in intensity. And also they were unnerving.

"She's a spirit healer." Solas turned back toward the conversation. Lyna visibly rolled her eyes before turning toward the elder elf. Oh, if she only knew who he was.

"The fade reacted instantly and powerfully to her magic. I've met few such accomplished healers, let alone those who converse with spirits to heal. You must have studied for quite a long time and retain close conversations with several spirits to be able to heal so powerfully. What manner of spirits do you interact with?"

I'd like to think I kept my face blank as Solas spoke but as Solas stared at me longer, I realized I was fucked regardless. I didn't even know my healing was essentially spirit healing. Now that was news for me. I hadn't even considered it. "Yeah… okay we're going to put this conversation on hold until Haven. It's going to be part of that long story I talked about earlier. Because…" Even Kost was looking at me confused. "Look…just because, you'll understand then."

"Going to have a lot of questions for you, Mer." Iron Bull pipped up.

"Mer?" Kost looked at Bull. "You two know each other?"

"Who do you think I met when I learned about the Blades?" Iron Bull gave a cheeky smile but Adaar didn't look pleased but nodded his head. I sighed and rubbed my temples.

"How about you show us the camp, while we wait for… uh…" Kost looked abashed at having forgotten Alon's name.

"Alon. That sounds like a great idea. Plus I'm sure you guys have been travelling all day and could use a rest?" I pulled up my hospitality smile and led them around. Showing them the encampment was easy as there wasn't much. I offered Adaar the larger of the two cabins, Emeric's for him to stay in and I offered "my" cabin to Varric, Bull, Solas and Lyna. Solas declined politely and wandered off. And Lyna said she'd much rather sleep outside. Varric and Bull on the other took up on the offer.

When I showed off our stables…

"You have so many mabari!" Adaar exclaimed as the full assortment of our dog army was let out of the stables.

"Well, this _is_ Ferelden." I snickered as the dogs listened to my orders. I had them line up and sit.

"Can I…." Kost turned a full glazed over puppy dog eye look at me. I froze because it was weird seeing it on a qunari, a large towering probably could bend me in half qunari. "Can I play with them?" His bottom lip even quivered.

My mouth gaped open but I nodded. "Knock yourself out."

He squealed. The Herald of Andraste, _squealed._ Kost knelt down on the ground by Moar and Ser Howlsworth and began letting them sniff him. Trouble had already deemed him safe and was licking at his sides, to Adaar's cheer. His staff forgotten on the floor and his bag thrown off so he could play wrestle with the dogs. It was…kind of cute to be honest.

This was not what I thought the Herald of Andraste to be like.

I spotted Iron Bull looking at Slipper who sniffed at him and followed after him until the Ben-Hassrath sat down.

Come to think of it, none of the mabari had imprinted on anybody. Don't all mabari imprint? I suppose they have to meet someone they want to imprint on. I looked to Dog, who was sitting vigilant at the gates, Growlith's corpse had been carried out with Emeric's.

I spotted Solas examining the paintings and art on the perimeter fence. Lyna had wandered off to our garden and was muttering something in elven while she looked at each plant. I still didn't know which clan she came from.

"How _do_ you know me?" Varric was sat on a stump, Bianca on his lap and he was checking certain components of which I had no names for. "Adaar might not have seen through it but I did. And I doubt Tiny here didn't see through it."

"Oh yea, but she owes me a lot of answers that she can't run away from." Bull said with that same damnable chuckle that sent a thrill up my spine. Goddamn that voice. He hummed, pleased that it seemed to cause the same reaction.

"It's…"

"A long story. Why don't you shorten it?" Varric offered cheerfully. _Too_ cheerfully and with his trademark smirk.

"It's also complicated but I'll see if I can… explain it in a quick and dirty way." I mumbled.

"Like you and Alon?" Iron Bull leered at me and I flushed, stuck my tongue out at Bull. "Don't stick out what you don't intend to use."

"I… what…" I coughed and took a step away from the Ben-Hassrath as he laughed at my expense. "Anyway… the easiest way also happens to be the technically inaccurate explanation." I cleared my throat and turned back to Varric. How to put this without seeming crazy?

"The Blades of Hessarian think she's the Maker's Seer." Iron Bull said just as I worked up to it. I glowered at him but he gave me a toothy grin where his tongue flicked out. Given his prior statement, it made my cheeks warm even more.

"The Maker's Seer, huh?" Varric leaned back. "And do you think-"

"No. In fact I have said I'm not any time I got. But you know how it is with these cults…" I waved my hand in the air.

"I have the same problem with the title Herald." Kost said as he sat down on a barrel, now apparently tired of playing with the dogs. He was all smiles, toothy grins and bright eyes. "Everyone calls me Herald this or Herald that… hardly anyone calls me by my name."

I almost felt bad I had wished it on him.

"Aww, don't like my nickname for you killer?" Varric teased and Adaar gave a smirk in my direction.

"Not really. It's misleading."

"Why do you call him Killer?" Varric and Iron Bull looked at each other and howled with laughter. Kost flushed and ducked his head. "What?"

"Haven't you noticed anything about him?" Iron Bull breathed between chuckles.

"He's not exactly thrilled about fighting, ever." Varric chortled.

"Oh. So it's like your nickname for Bull. It's contrary to how…ooooh." The two continued to laugh and I patted Adaar's shoulder. "It doesn't always have to be hack slash and kill."

"That's what I said!" Kost exclaimed as he received more teasing remarks. He tried to not smile but eventually he was chuckling too.

* * *

 **GreaterGoodIreland** , Solas always rubbed me wrong my first playthrough. And then the second one and third I was moderately okay with him. But it's really creepy how he just traipses through Fade dreams, even in fanfictions it seems to be the norm for him. Like, come on Solas at least get permission!

But Trespasser certainly had me raising the pitchforks and torches against him.

 **InuGuardian1984** , Originally Alon was supposed to have a much more heart breaking "end" to the relationship with Mercy but I fell for him so I changed it.

 **5 Coloured Walker** , Yeah, as you can see the fight was less than stellar. It was to showcase how ill equipped Emeric turned out to be against properly trained for combat individuals. He was just too stuck in his own ways.

I kinda want to reveal about what chapter "How Pride Met Mercy" accomplished but it would be too many spoilers if I said even one thing.

 **Poppet0** , There will be more flirting between Krem and Mercy. Don't you worry.


	49. A Dalish Affair

There was a feast. Both to honor Emeric and to welcome Kost as the new leader. It was quite a lively affair, all things considered. Silvie hid away in her tent, and Alon put himself on guard duty. Neither felt like celebrating, but that didn't stop everyone else. Some Inquisition Scouts came not long after Kost and Alon had their discussion. They set up their requisition camp inside the encampment and of course the Inquisition banner went up. I felt ten times safer with it there, and pleased. I'd done it.

The Chargers also joined up for the feast, no doubt Bull's doing, as there was quite a fair amount of alcohol. Ale…wine. Oh what I wouldn't give for some vodka to make myself a martini or have shots of vodka. Now that would be a party.

Between the chatting, the raucous music the Chargers played and the card games Varric was playing with everyone, it was pretty easy to forget that the Breach was still in the sky. But this was a minor celebration. I suppose they were taking their victories when they could and cherishing them.

I walked around the encampment, a mug of embrium tea warming my fingers as I ducked to the garden, out of the way of the festivities. Much as I liked celebrations, I needed quiet time just to relax. I also needed to think of what happens next.

Rolling a log out, I sat down, stretching my legs and placed a warming rune on the inside of my jacket, feeling the fade heat seep into my clothes. I was getting used to using my magic in this way. It was convenient for the most part.

"I never cared for these sorts of affairs. Not even back with my clan." Lyna said as she stepped into the garden. I didn't even notice her step toward the garden. Man, elves are light on their feet. I watched as she approached and then sat in the dirt near a particular blood lotus pot. Her fingers curled around a pod and then she leaned back, looking exhausted.

She wasn't in her armor nor did she carry her short swords. But who's to say she didn't have an assortment of daggers on her. She wore her hair out of the braids I had seen her in. Her hair was curly in ways I was immensely jealous of and they hung loose, only a slight sheen to them. Her yellow green eyes were watching me and I noted the faint trace of makeup on her lips. Her vallaslin, I noted wasn't black but a weird mixture of green and gold, gold on the branch like parts and faded to green toward her forehead and under her eyes. It was quite beautiful.

"This isn't my kind of celebrating either." I shared. "Embrium tea?" I had the pot with me but she shook her head. "Which clan are you from anyway? I've heard a little about the Dalish."

"Oh? I'm sure you've heard what any _shem_ has heard. Was it how elves sing under the moonlight dancing naked to be closer to nature?" She snapped too quickly and then paused when I gave her a patient look. Lyna blinked ashamed at first but I chuckled. What a shame that stereotypes persisted and prejudice persisted in this world too. Ah well, human nature. Or maybe… just nature?

"You use shem like an insult but it only accurately describes people like me. Quick children… because we die much faster than elves, or we used to. Supposedly." I stretched my legs out as I spoke and she peered up at me curiously, a question forming on her tongue but I interrupted before she could ask. "One of our blades… His mother was Dalish. I'm not Andrastian, so he felt it safer to share it with me. I'd be more…impartial and less judgmental of his beliefs. Which I suppose is true. He did share quite a bit with me." Jany did tell me about what shem meant, though I probably knew more elven than he. Still, it was kind of funny to be honest.

"Oh." Her cheeks flushed under the moonlight and she looked away and then peeked at me. "Sorry. I thought…"

"No offense taken. So what's your clan like?" I sipped at my tea and she smiled gratefully.

"I come from Clan Lavellan. Our keeper drinks embrium tea a lot, as does her first. They say it increases their healing magic." The elf's fingers dug into the dirt, upturning it and then sifting it through her fingers. I would have asked about that but I was stuck on her clan name. "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a spirit. Although given your prowess with spirit healing I'd say you've seen quite a lot of spirits."

"I uh. Yeah no I've just have heard of clan Lavellan. That's all. Is Deshanna still the keeper?" That got her attention. She sat up and looked at me while I smiled.

"How did you…" Her eyes searched mine, questioning as I sat back and sipped at my tea.

"I know a little bit about a lot of things. More than I should know in some cases…" I trailed off as Solas stepped into the garden. Lyna tensed while he stepped up all graceful like, I barely managed to keep myself composed as I sipped my tea. He noticed my tea, his upper lip raised in disgust briefly before he turned toward Lyna.

"Lavellan." He greeted icily.

"Solas." She quipped and then turned back toward me. "Mercy and I were having a discussion about the Dalish. Would you care to join us?" There was a fire in her eyes, like she wanted to argue. Damn, I really didn't want to get between the two of them in an argument.

"Oh?" Solas's gaze turned toward me, amused at first and then he smirked.

"Yes. It seems even a shem can show proper respect toward the Dalish and our beliefs. Is that not right, Mercy." Lyna eyed me.

"Well yes. It's called being respectful to all belief systems. It'd be rude…to dismiss any of them." I mumbled out as Solas's gaze bore into me, making me feel small.

"Is that what you believe I was being, Lavellan? Rude? Well my apologies, _da'len_." He said that deliberately because Lyna's cheeks flushed angrily and she glowered and bristled at him, but said nothing. Instead she turned back toward me.

I wasn't privy to whatever was going on between them, but clearly it wasn't good. So I cleared my throat and like the awkward duck I was, I decided to steer the conversation toward something else. "So… ahem… Lyna. How did you join the Inquisition?" I voiced a tad louder than I meant to but it drew both of their attention to me. Which wouldn't have been so bad if the moons didn't reflect off both of their eyes and give me the creeps as their eyes reflected the light making them look like their eyes were glowing sinisterly. From Solas it was appropriate and gave me the chills.

Note to self, do not look at elven eyes in the dark. I averted my gaze down toward my tea where I refilled my cup. It wasn't nearly as hot anymore but I remedied that with another warming rune.

Sensing what I had averted my eyes for, Solas chuckled and it was every bit the light laughter I remember from the game.

"Kost saved me from the blast at the conclave." Lyna broke the peace and left me looking up at her questioning. "He doesn't remember it, but… he thought I was a suspicious character."

"Suspicious character?" I leaned forward and Solas smirked.

"Yes, a Dalish going to great lengths to hide her vallaslin under a touch of face paint to sneak into the conclave that would be very suspicious, even to an outsider." Solas chuckled harshly and peered down at Lyna who glowered.

"Why were you-"

"Because my keeper wanted me to keep myself hidden. So I thought, let me mask myself as a simple servant. I just had to hide my face while I learned of what happened." Lyna explained.

"I can see how that would work. Hide the Dalish marking and it wouldn't trace back to your people. Plus it meant you could go anywhere any of the servants could, which would probably be everywhere." I leaned back as the elf beamed up at me for understanding. Solas on the other hand rolled his eyes but folded his arms.

 _You'd think he'd be more appreciative of an elf wanting to hide those markings._

"Wait… you said he doesn't remember." I know the Herald does have a memory problem that is eventually remedied when they fight the Nightmare demon but…

"He found me in the conclave and had me arrested by the security detail, something about doing his job. But I was being escorted out of the conclave by two soldiers when the breach happened. We weren't far enough away to be safe but close enough that we took a chunk of the blast. One of the soldiers with me died. And the other assumed I had something to do with it. I only barely managed to escape but...that didn't last long." Lyna frowned and then scowled as she looked to Solas.

There was something there. "What happened?"

"I found her, injured and trying to run." Solas provided.

"I _wasn't_ running. I needed to hide, there were demons everywhere." Lyna snapped at him.

Solas had an impassive look to him.

"What were you doing there?" I asked the elder elf who merely looked to me.

"I was curious to how the Conclave would end. My studies in the fade had already been interrupted by Templars and Mages alike in this ceaseless war, so I was near." He replied smoothly. It was almost too polished of a reply but I didn't push it, because I know why he was really there.

"Anyway, after the Breach was stable... Kost didn't recognize me, nor why he had me arrested." Lyna frowned. "I owe him my life." She nodded and then looked up at me. "Why did you decide to join the Inquisition?" Lyna was directing the query to me, which made me pause.

 _Why was I?_

It's not like the chain of events that will happen won't already be favorable to Thedas. But there is that little nug of what ifs in the back of my head. What if they don't? What if Kost dies? Not to mention the damn near prophetic visions I got and my handy but exhaust inducing ability to jump back in time.

I could have just as easily ignored all of that and found some backwater village in Ferelden or joined the Avvar or hell, even traveled overseas to the Free Marches to Kirkwall or Starkhaven and chill out there, waited out the Breach. But then… I looked to Solas who did that head tilt of his when he was trying to figure out a puzzle or something or someone confusing.

"The Blades of Hessarian think I'm some Maker sent Seer of some sort. I don't believe it. I do know that if what I've seen comes true, there will be a lot of pain, suffering and death. So I'd like to prevent as much needless deaths as possible and to do that, I'd have to be part of the Inquisition." I tried to phrase it delicately and locked eyes with Solas while speaking, hoping he'd understand what I was hinting at.

 _I'm not a threat but I know your goal, but I won't stop it._

"A noble goal." Solas commented with a nod in my direction.

"Oh, so her goal is noble but mine isn't?" Lyna glared at Solas.

"What is your goal?" I stood up, stretching my limbs as I took note of Bull going around the encampment. Yeah, no way he's not dropping any eaves.

"Well, I couldn't very well just run off with the Breach tearing at the sky. That would have been wrong to let all those people suffer. So I stayed, and helped fight the demons. It didn't stop the _shems_ from arresting me once the Herald stabilized the Breach though." Lyna grumbled. "But they found I had no connection to the Breach. So I was let free."

"And you didn't return to your Clan? Won't they miss you?"

"They will… but they don't need me. I'm just… one of many hunters. If I had been born a mage…maybe they would have sent word for me to return, but instead they told me to help with the Inquisition, as a way to show even the Dalish wish this chaos to end." Lyna huffed, eyes closed as though she were reciting something from memory.

 _If you'd been born a mage, would you have been your keeper's first?_

"Who is your Keeper's first?" The question slipped out of me before I could stop myself. Both elves looked at me curiously.

"Ellana, why?"

I must have made some kind of face because Solas was giving me a very intense look, like he knew or was considering something. Lyna on the other hand was oblivious. "Just curious. I'd like to get to know more about the Dalish is all. Getting second hand information about Dalish customs is not ideal so I'd love to talk with you more about it." I felt like I rushed that out to placate but she looked satisfied, even pleased with my answer. Solas, however, was tense and turned his back towards us, facing the festivities.

"If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask then." Lyna beamed at me as she stood. "It's getting quite late however, so perhaps another time?"

Lyna left me alone with Solas.

It took fifteen seconds for that to settle into my slow noggin and I snapped my head toward Solas who was watching me closely again. I could feel the magic heavy around us, the fade rippling, creating a heady dense atmosphere. What was the eggheaded elf doing?

I went to open my mouth to speak but I yawned instead. What…? Suddenly I felt immensely tired and blinked up at the gray eyed elf as he stepped forward, hands outstretched to me. "You look tired. Perhaps you should… _sleep?_ "


	50. Vashedan

"That was _not_ nice." I grumbled out as I sat up in the fade, surrounded once again by the same group of winding trees the last time I was here. They looked far more spread out through, dotted and in groupings. Beyond them were stretches of dirt paths and broken buildings. I looked at myself as this time I was wearing my ridiculous white robe. I scowled as I stumbled around and then found a path. "Couldn't you have at least met up with me here? Stupid egg."

The fade is a weird place. I've been here over a dozen times and most of them were pleasant. That first demon encounter will forever haunt me but thankfully it hasn't repeated. Most of the time when I realized it was the fade, I was already waking up. Other rarer times I'd get to explore. But these moments in the fade with Solas were…odd.

"Hey! Solas! Yeah, I know you're probably watching me!" I shouted out, my voice echoing around me. "…like the creep you are." I muttered under my breath as I wound up at a clearing in the fade forest. There was a single large statue of a wolf. A tribute to the Dread Wolf if I recall from the game correctly. There was several plants I recognized nearby, but they weren't real. Or were they? Was this a memory?

"You know a fair bit of elven history." Solas stepped into the clearing, hands folded behind him. He looked every bit the scholar when he took that pose, even as he walked into the clearing. "Even what the Dalish do not know." His eyes turned to the statue, accusatorially. His gaze returned to me sharply, eyes intense.

I didn't like this. I wasn't as familiar with the fade as he was. I couldn't have been more out of my element with the elf. So I did the only sensible thing, I tried to distract him. "What did you do with my body?"

He chuckled darkly at me before a smirk stretched across his features. "Is it _your_ body?"

"What?!" I gaped at him. Did he still think I was a spirit? Did he… oh lord. Did he think I was possessing someone?! "Listen here, _Solas_ , I'm not a spirit, much less one of _mercy_. That is honestly just a nickname. Good lord I should just go by Mercedez…" I said exasperated as I flailed my arms angrily.

He started at my outburst. I didn't like being forcibly made to sleep and entering the fade. I'd like to keep my visits to this side of the veil to as little of a number as possible. Yeah it could be fun, reliving memories but… like I said, keep it to a minimum. Also that desire demon encounter made me wary of the place. And now I was wary because of Solas.

Who knows what he'll drag out of me here?

"Now." I marched up to the elf, mustering up all my courage. "What did you do to my body! Last thing I remember you were practically oozing magic and then I was sleepy, when I rarely get sleepy that early!" I growled up at him. It was unfair he was taller than me, even if by an inch and a half.

Solas took a step back, his eyes narrowed in confusion and his hand rose again. The fade reacted and rather than flinch, I stayed still. He looked so lost.

A few seconds later, the rest of his haughty expression and poise fell. "Your beloved took possession of your body upon my alerting him of your exhausted nature."

"My… beloved?" I squinted at him. "Oh Alon…he's not… we're not. No. Not anymore." I coughed and looked everywhere but at Solas. The silence was impregnable as I looked around the clearing. I was still pretty livid at the elf, but what the hell could I do?

I peeked at him as he kept checking things, his hand raised briefly and then he was shaking his head. So long as he didn't attack me in the fade, I should be fine. Right? Please let me be right.

"You say you are not a spirit, yet your magic says otherwise." Solas speaks up.

 _Come again._ I turned to him wildly at the revelation.

"What are you?" He steps toward me.

Red flags were popping up everywhere just then.

"Come again?"

Gray eyes pierced through me, like they could read everything about me. It was worrisome and breathtaking. It took a weight off my shoulders like I didn't have to explain anything but then he frowned.

"I find I've never come across a creature such as yourself. To all my senses you _are_ a spirit, here in the fade. But then when awake you appear and feel completely human. Even your energy, your mana, your connection to the fade… is dampened." His voice wavered as he got closer, too close for my taste.

I gulped as he stopped right in front of me. _Woah there homeboy, take a step back out of my personal space._ I stepped back away from him instead.

"You are not possessed. And yet you say you are not a spirit. What are you?"

I didn't answer him. I _couldn't_ answer him. I didn't know the answer myself so I simply turned away from him and leaned against the wolf statue. "Well… there goes that plan. And here I was hoping you might be able to tell me more about my abilities and maybe how I got here, but if you can't even tell what I am… _shit_." I looked at him.

"How you got here?" One eyebrow rose. "It is as you said I put you to-"

"No… not here in the fade. I meant here. In this world. Thedas…" I took a breath and decided I may as well. No one else was here besides us. "I'm not _from_ Thedas. I'm from another realm, or world I guess." I explained to him. His eyes narrowed in thought.

"Another world?"

I went to nod but felt something pulling, grasping at me. "Uh…what's happening?" I looked up Solas who realized it as well and he went to grab me.

* * *

I woke up in a bleary and groggy state. I don't know what had pulled me from the fade but a slight shake next to me had me focusing my vision on the body next to mine. Or rather, I was in their arms; in Alon's arms. I knew it was his because his scent, the feel of him against me was familiar and as I became more aware I could feel the slight panic rise up. Alon was _shaking_. And by the small gasps that he tried to hide, he was crying. Disregarding the interrupted fade interaction, I wrapped my arms around my ex-lover and he halted, body tense until I shushed him softly.

I held him against me, his head tucked under my chin before he began to relax and he shook less but he was crying still. His sobs muffled by my tunic.

Loss is a terrible thing and even if I hated Emeric, Alon had looked up to him, seen the man as a father figure. I couldn't just ignore his feelings on the matter. "Shh… he's not in pain anymore. He's returned to the Maker's side." Were all the words of comfort I could utter as the ginger clutched at me like a child.

His sobbing grew quiet after a while. I don't know how long but enough that the last dredges of sleep were chased away and I realized I had been put to bed with my robe still on. It was uncomfortable but I stayed still. My fingers running through Alon's hair, humming a tune that sent pangs of longing through me. It reminded me of home, of my sister.

I blinked away my own tears as daylight was filtering through the tent. I pulled away from Alon slowly and eyed his sleeping face. He looked every bit the young man that he was. I could just imagine him being barely a teenager, having just lost his mother and been recruited right into the Blades. _Into a cult._

"Morning." He grumbled against my bosom, nuzzling closer. His hands slipped to my hips. I knew what he was trying to do, I could feel him smiling and his hips grinding against me softly.

"Good morning. I have to thank you for putting me to bed, however… had you _undressed_ me, I may have been more susceptible to what your hands are doing." I smirked as he groaned at his lack of foresight. That didn't stop him from trying to stick his hands under my tunic but I was climbing out of bed before he even managed to get anywhere close to skin. Instead I let my hair down and stripped out of my robe, tunic and trousers quickly as I heard him grumble and begin sitting up in bed.

"One more _fuck_ for the last time?" I said brazenly as I turned around naked as the day I was born in front of him. His eyes darkened as he drank me in.

"Are you sure?" His arms were flexing, veins bulging under the strain of restraint, but I smiled and nodded. There was one second as I watched his adam's apple bob as he gulped once and then I barely caught myself against him the moment he yanked me back to him. His mouth on mine, hungry with unbridled lust. His hands hot against me.

 _From zero to a hundred,_ I giggled to myself.

Once done, Alon looked even more relaxed. His eyes weren't puffy from his cry and his shoulders were relaxed. His hair was mussed and his lips were red and there was a dark bruise on his neck where I had to bite down to hold my scream in. He couldn't look more thoroughly satisfied, even if you gave him a lit cigarette.

 _There's an image._ I pulled my hand from my abdomen, the magic subsiding.

"I'm sending Frail and Brig with you." Alon sighed out as he watched me dressed.

"What?" I buttoned up my tunic over a fresh breast band. I'd giving myself a quick wash down with the bucket. "Did they wish to join the Inquisition?"

"No." Alon stretched his arms, a few cracks and pops sounded as he stood. "I'd feel more comfortable with you going if there was also someone you're familiar with. I would go but I wish to retain Javon and Emeric's legacy, though we are loyal to the Herald, that doesn't mean we discontinue how we run things, we merely have a common goal with the Inquisition now. So we will work with their scouts."

"Huh." I chewed my lip as I pulled on trousers that were more like tights and then didn't tuck in my long tunic. The tunic belongs to Alon actually, before I stole it for my use. It hung low so I tied a vest over it and then slid my scout's jacket on. "I suppose having Frail and Brig will be nice. I'd have liked to take one of the dogs though." I peeked at Alon, hoping I could use my feminine wiles to convince him.

"One of the dogs will be going with you, actually." Alon dressed himself slowly, his fingers deliberately going slower on the laces to his trousers. I hummed appreciatively. I still found him alluring, but I doubt he could handle me being far away. So whatever we had been, had to stop.

 _You wouldn't be able to handle being far._

I bit my cheek before asking, "Which dog? Is it Duchess? Please let me take Duchess." I've missed her terribly and would welcome my favorite pooch. Plus I'm sure it would impress the Fereldens to have a mabari at my heels, even if she wasn't imprinted to me.

"No. Though I know you wanted her, we won't be able to part with her. Instead… what did you call her? Slipper. Yes. She seems to have imprinted with the Qunari." Alon explained.

"What… wait wait. Since when?" I gaped. "And which Qunari? There are two Qunari here now…"

Alon chuckled at my expense. "I wouldn't refer to the Herald as _Qunari_. As I understand he is what they call a Vashoth, or so he explained."

Herald... then that means.

"SLIPPER IMPRINTED WITH BULL?" I exclaimed loudly.

I was out of the tent faster than you could say _Vashedan_.

"Mercy… _maker_ woman, how you manage to have all this energy after our tryst… He's named her Iron Dog." Alon called after me, huffing as he gave up on keeping up with my hurried footsteps. He wasn't even fully dressed.

 _Iron Dog!_ I groaned, picturing Slipper in a metal flying suit of fire engine red and gold with a tiny arc reactor on her chest. I groaned even more, picturing Bull outfitted like that. _No. This… no!_

My feet carried me toward my old cabin. A deep set frown on my face as I raised my fist to knock but the door opened and Varric froze as he spotted me.

"Mercy-"

"Where's Bull?" I quipped, bristling. Varric took a step back.

"With the chargers, at their camp…hey wait." Varric said but I was already sprinting out of the main encampment and out a bit toward where the Charger camp had been set up. I passed Gideon and Anna, but I paid them little mind.

My footsteps slowed until I stood next to Krem and Kost who were watching Bull wrestle on the ground with Slipper. Grunts and laughs sounded around us, teasingly to me. Krem turned to me and grinned that familiar flirtatious grin. "Chief loves Irondog, says you did a good job training her."

I glowered at Krem and he whistled before taking a step away.

"I want a mabari to imprint on me…" Kost whined and looked down at me. Empathy, pure empathy radiated from me as his bottom lip quivered.

 _It's not fair._ I wanted to stamp my feet like a petulant child. "You and me both, Kost." I sighed, annoyed at Bull.

* * *

 **REVIEW RESPONSES** :

 **SleepiPanda** : Yes. Adaar is VERY cute. He's also very handsome/hot. I have pictures up on my Ao3 version. I'm not sure if there is a way to link pictures in the story on . If all else fails, there will be links in my profile to pictures I took of my heavily cosmetic modded Inqy Adaar.

 **Atsirk** **Enoh** : I will almost always certainly involve Varric's chest hair of manliness. That is just a standard!

 **Poppet0** : Merrill is actually someone I pulled a lot of inspiration from but also from some real life persons I know who would act exactly like Kost does. Mercy may, eventually joke about that one day. But it will probably be after the "reveal" and when she gets to know if she's safe or not in Haven.

Mercy has played Skyrim. But she is mostly terrified of Thedas dragons right now. So I doubt she'll try to "shout" at them anytime soon. Maybe with a wyvern or a dragonling or drake. We'll see. Also you're more than welcome to Inbox me. I welcome private messages!

 **Ripper1337** : So many puppies are in store for this fic. Mabari EVERYWHERE! This _is_ Ferelden afterall.

 **Guest** : You'll be plenty surprised to see a little Kost/Mercy fluff in upcoming chapters. But I won't spoil anything else.

 **5 Coloured** **Walker** : Thanks for the catch there. Sadly, no. Kost wasn't dropped into Thedas. He's born true blue Thedosians. Much as that would be funny to write, someone waking up in a Qunari body on Thedas. Hmmm. I might actually take that up as a side project.

 **GreaterGoodIreland** ; He's technically a civilian. He was still a mercenary, but he's just not overly fond of killing. Violence in the name of defending yourself is fine, but killing, he's rather pass.

 **Rj** : I wish i could update more often too. Time constraints + Motivations + IRL Obligations... it tends to build up. But I'm back and I'm very happy you enjoyed the story.

 **Jamie** : I tell myself something similar! "You shouldn't have posted this until it was completely written!" But then I sigh because I know I wouldn't have been motivated enough to finish a fanfic without some outside motivation.

 **SrgtHamy** , **Merk** , and **po** : I will try to get to a weekly or twice monthly update schedule.


	51. Not Made For Walking

I wanted to slay the Iron _Fucking_ Bull. Just murder him.

Okay I'm being melodramatic, but I just wanted to punch him, repeatedly over and over until I got my frustrations out. And that's no way to take out your frustrations with someone like the Iron _Fucking_ Bull. Especially when there are far more pleasurable ways of taking out your frustrations. One of which, he's offered. Several times actually, ever since learning Alon and I are no more.

Either he was coming on too strong on purpose or he had an agenda. Or both. Or he just really wanted to fuck because he's been stuck on the Coast for who knows how long and I'm the only one responding to his winks and chuckles. Or maybe he just likes fucking with me, or wants to _fuck_ _with me_. Either way I was not having a good time, because it was so _tempting_. Tell me what fangirl _wouldn't_ be curious? Even Josephine says it!

I mean I _could_ be having a good time but I felt that cinching terrible feeling approaching. The _bad_ times of the month for every woman. So even if I had _wanted_ to take up the Bull on his many… _many_ offers, I wouldn't. How would that even work anyway? We'd have to find a stream and then there is the matter of his size. Would he fit?

What was I thinking!

I'm not going to _ride the Bull_! Pretty sure I wouldn't be able to take his _weapon_ much less want to because well. It's been what a few days after Alon and I split. I mean… I might eventually ride him, if he keeps up the looks he sends me.

Maybe… eventually. Possibly soon.

That grin, the way his eye roved over me and the way he wielded his weapon in battle. Years of swinging it around left his muscles rippling.

 _Woah, okay chill, Mercy. Holy fuck hormones on rampage what the hell was happening? You've been away from Alon for less than a week and already you want to fuck the next piece of eye candy? Damn girl… you promiscuous minx!_ I shook my head as Brig and Frail set up the tent.

We had left the Blades encampment right after we broke our fast. Said our goodbyes, thankfully none of them were teary. If Alise had been there, I probably would have cried so instead I had written her a letter for Alon to give her and one for Mira and Jany of course. We set out afterward with the Herald, who had a newer and better map of the coast now. Kost took care of the remaining rifts, which let me tell you was fun to watch happen. I was the dedicated Healer whenever they went to take care of a Rift. Demons dying quickly and I rarely had to do anything because holy fuck these guys are _efficient_ when it comes to killing demons.

Apparently killing demons don't count in the "prefer not to kill" department for Kost.

I did remember to warn Kost of the potential Despair demon in that one rift in the cave. And I said there might be something of elven origin there, to which Solas, who had mostly been ignoring me after our interrupted Fade dream gave me a look. He knew what I was talking about, or should know.

It got around to the group that I'm essentially a Seer of sorts. Bull was the only one who snorted and rolled his eye when Kost began asking me what I knew of certain areas, both as a person who lived here and explored and as a Seer.

"So this is what it feels like for my information to be valued." I mused one night at camp to Frail, to which we both cackled to ourselves.

The others in the group looked at us curiously but I could barely breathe to explain so Frail had to explain why I was so peppy whenever Kost took my advice seriously. All the fighting I had to do with Emeric and here was Kost who simply listened and considered it seriously instead of writing me off completely.

It felt nice, really nice. I could give Kost a big hug, if I wasn't scared he might take it the wrong way or blush himself to death. Because whenever Iron Bull made a dirty joke my way, he'd blush and look at me to see my reaction, which was always in stride. Oh just because I myself blushed at Bull's advances didn't mean I didn't give as much as he gave. Varric loved my responses to Bull as well.

"Hey Mer, need help with that staff?" Bull called out as I dragged my staff behind me, too tired to lift it after using it as a makeshift shield against a Shade demon that managed to break across the line of warriors and scouts and mages who could actually fight, _unlike me_.

"Only if it's hard, wet and ready." I had quipped back unabashedly while mishearing staff as shaft. There was a beat of silence as I realized my mistake and frantically looked back to see Bull grinning wickedly.

"Oh it can be, especially for _you,_ Mer."

Kost made a choking sound as he stepped past us and Varric howled, leaning against a tree. "Oh Mercy… that one is going down in the books. You and Tiny,,,." He chuckled and pulled a small book out and a black stick of sorts. "Rivaini is going to love these. The Seer and the Qunari Spy…"

I groaned but then grinned at Bull and sent him a wink. "I wonder if smutty literature about a threesome between Bull, me and the Arishok would be good bedtime fodder for her. What do you think Bull?" I slyly looked up at the Ben Hassrath who gaped at me, his mouth opening briefly before that wolfish grin came back. "Because I hear when the Arishok was just a Sten, him and the Warden had a _pretty close_ relationship. I wonder just how close…"

Both Varric and Bull were quiet and then looked to each other as I continued forward. "I wonder if I would be able to contact Solona and find out exactly how _big_ are Qunari _weapons?_ " I winked at Bull "Or I can just one day find out myself…" I called out and then sauntered the way back to camp, barely containing a giggle and then collapsing against Brig who shook his head at me.

"You should stop goading him." Brig signed.

"Relax, it's all in good fun." I signed back to Brig whose lips broke into a full toothy grin.

"You should see how he looks at you though." Frail stepped up, signing and I went to look back but Brig stopped me. "Like he wants to eat you… in the _fun_ way."

My brows rose at that and then I looked back to Bull who slumped against a fallen log, Slip- Irondog at his side and he was petting her then started sharpening his Edge. He did look up at me, a slow grin as he caught my eye. His hands slowed and he rubbed the shaft of his weapon down and then shifted. I felt my cheeks heat at the thought of what he was actually packing and turned away and joined Brig and Frail for watch.

That was another surprise. Brig and Frail. They hadn't been told to join the Inquisition just for me but also because they were more experienced with dealing with the neighboring Avvar, Brig especially as he often took this route with Emeric to go trading with the nearby tribes. So Brig and Frail were discussing with the Herald about the possible routes to take to avoid the Avvar. Well Brig was signing and Frail translating for Adaar.

And every night, thus far, Brig and Frail and I would share a tent. We were comfortable with each other. I knew Brig held no carnal desires and I also knew Frail was pining after Brig, unsuccessfully. It was still cold at night and they welcomed my warming runes which I liberally used. Though there were some odd moments.

Like the first morning after sleeping in such close quarters, I found Brig pressed close to me with his arms around my waist and Frail cuddled to my belly, his head smooshed under my breasts like a child. When I woke up I looked to each of them bewildered because, well that was _new_. A little odd but just _new_.

"We've just missed you is all. Alon hogged you all to himself and now we've got you back." Frail explained and Brig nodded as we packed away our tent.

"Okay but… like there was no space between us. I was a little afraid one of you would wake up with a hard on or something." I exasperated as I military style rolled up our blankets and stored them in my bag.

Frail chuckled and looked to Brig who shook his head and waved his hand to mean "Never."

"Okay… but the moment you do. I sleep on the outside. You got it?" I told both of them. They nodded obediently and I frowned.

Our sleeping arrangements were weird to the others apparently. Because they only ever had two to a tent but Frail was so much slighter and smaller than me and I was shapely but much smaller than Brig. Maybe it was because I slept between two men. That rose some eyebrows but no one said anything.

* * *

"You okay, Sights?" Varric questioned. Varric was working on a nickname for me. How unbelievably amazing was that? _Varric Tethras_ coming up with a nickname for _you_ specifically?

I crinkled my nose at him and shook my head. "Other than that poor attempt at a nickname, I'm good." I said as I stretched my legs. They were beginning to ache actually. I rarely ever had to walk this far or for that long without breaks. The coast was relatively small compared to how far we had to go. We were at least now on the Imperial highway. The trees were thinned around us and we were following the path downward along Lake Calenhad. However, the distance was killing my feet, or rather these boots.

These boots were _not_ made for walking. I gave a snort and giggled as I pulled my heels off the supports of my boots to take the pressure off.

"What?" Varric was curious. "What's so funny?" We were settling down for the night. Supper was being made by the Inquisition scouts so the others were off doing whatever they did. Bull was off with the chargers. Kost was hiding away. Frail and Brig were off hunting with Lyna. And Solas… well Solas was _Solas_. He just disappeared at this time of night. The tents were already up. So it left Varric and I alone to relax.

Varric of course was writing in that little book of his with the occasional chuckle. Speaking of…

I smirked conspiratorially. "Just a joke I thought of. I'd share it but it has a whole song and dance to it..." I trailed off and then eyed his book and then fluttered my eyelashes exaggeratingly. Varric caught my attempt to get a look at the book. He narrowed his eyes.

"Can't a writer keep his books ideas to himself?" Varric closed the book, and in mock offense stuck it in his jacket but pulled it back out when I kept my expression up and had a laugh. "What's this about song and dance? Is there a long story to it that involves you explaining the joke?"

"Maker no. That'd defeat the purpose of a joke! But I meant… like an actual _song_ and _dance_." I admitted and appraised him. "I'd be willing to teach you the song though. You might like it. It's downright raunchy when paired with the dance. Worthy to make even the naughtiest of patrons of the Blooming Rose and the Pearl combined, blush!" My face felt like it might crack with my smile. _I know so many more dirty songs than just this._

"Oh now you've got me intrigued. But I'd still would have to hear this song before I showed you anything." Varric shuffled closer but kept his book closed.

But why settle for his new book? When I could get something much _much_ better for this little ole song. "Actually, you know what… nah. I don't want a look at your scribbling now. I'd much rather get something else out of you, _Varric."_ I purred his name and leaned toward him in an overly sexual manner.

"Sorry blondie, the only woman for me is-"

"Bianca. I know. But what I want isn't your crossbow… it's your deliciously _long…hard…_ " I paused for effect just as Varric's brows rose high and he opened his mouth to rebuff me but I had other plans. "…in Hightown series. Signed if you please." I snapped my posture back and gave my largest shit eating grin and Varric choked with laughter, body shaking with laughter he had to contain or else alert everyone.

"Oh Rivaini is going to _love_ you." Varric chuckled once he composed himself.

"Oh and also… one more thing." I composed myself and placed a more serious expression on. "If you could… when you've the time anyway, to help me with my written common?"

"Done. Now let's hear this song."

I taught him the song and he asked for parts of the melody of which I hummed to him and he pulled another book out of his bag and wrote a few things down. This repeated well until supper was ready and the others were returning to eat.

"You know, I can't help but think this isn't nearly as raunchy as advertised." Varric tapped his chin as he reviewed the notes he'd taken. " _Swindler_ …" he narrowed his eyes.

"You do recall I said when paired with the dance, right?" I leaned back smug. "Which if you want to see _that_ it'll cost ya more." I examined my nails uninterestedly. I was hoping to get the rest of his book series, also signed.

"How much?"

I grinned.

We agreed I would show him after supper over some drinks, so that I could build up my courage. Seeing as how the Lake wasn't too far, Lyna, Dalish, Skinner and I, along with the few other female Inquisition scouts took a break to bathe. It was a relatively quick affair and I was welcome to it because I knew for a fact my womanly time was coming, if the cramps were any indication but I was prepared.

Now the routine thus far has been that everyone typically retired for the night to get an early start on walking, which was what was killing my feet. There was a shift of who took watch and it alternated every day but there was always two people on watch. I had a four hour watch with Frail last night so tonight I got to sleep through the night uninterrupted, so I was looking forward to that.

I walked back to the fire and eyed the fact everyone was there. Kost was drinking and playing cards with Varric, Bull, and Krem. This was a change.

No. Not a change. This was deliberate.

"Mercy!" Varric called me over and I frowned just as Frail and Brig both sat down around the group playing on the makeshift board on logs that I had seen Stitches use for making potions. "Care for a game of diamondback?" He grinned.

I clucked my tongue and slid into a seat there. "If you think you're getting…" I eyed Bull, Krem, and Kost and glowered at Varric. "…what we agreed on now, you've got another thing coming."

"I'd never force you to do what you didn't want to do." Varric snickered and dealt me in. I had a coin purse on my belt that was much lighter than everyone else's here but I dropped in two silvers to start off, to which Bull and Kost matched.

"Got room for one more?" Frail sat next to me after a few rounds and pushed a wooden mug to me. "For you. I know how you hate ale. It's wine."

"Oooh. Wine." My eyes sparked as I sipped at the mug and grinned as the sweet aged taste rolled around my tongue before I swallowed. I licked my lips lasciviously as I made eye contact with Bull and he gave me an amused grin.

"Now how can anyone _hate_ ale?" Varric looked affronted.

"Ale is piss water to me. Much too weak for me." I dropped in four silvers, a little worried over my disappearing purse. Gambling was so much fun but I'd need to earn some coin if I wanted to keep up with Varric and Bull, who kept calling my bluffs. Kost was doing just as badly as I, if not worse but he had a much bigger coin purse.

"Weak huh? You do know that's _Tevinter_ Wine?" The Ben Hassrath watched me. "Now if you want something with kick, I've got some-"

"Maraas-lok?" The words flew from my tongue and I looked at him patiently as he grumbled. "Actually, I wouldn't mind tasting dwarven ale one day. May actually be worth getting into. Wine and brandy seems expensive." Varric snorted and coughed.

"Oh girlie, dwarven ale is even more expensive than wine, depending on what brewery you're buying from." Varric tutted and I grinned.

"Well, I was hoping I may charm it out of a roguish, storytelling dwarf." I blinked innocently at him.

"Not a chance. Not until you deliver on our previous arrangement anyway." He smirked at me over his cards and I pouted.

"Hmph." I called Kost's bluff and he sighed. "Don't worry Kost. You'll get better. I'm not complete shite at this game." I purred at Kost and he gulped looking at me and then at Bull.

"You could give me a few pointers…in-in private. Maybe I could match your game." Kost replied, stuttering only a little and then he was gulping down his ale and avoiding eye contact.

I froze. Varric froze. The whole table froze and we looked at the Herald in astonishment.

"Did he-"

"Why I believe he did-"

"Nice…" Bull smirked admirably at Kost and laughed jovially and slammed his ale mug down once he downed it.

"Aww… am I corrupting Kost into flirting." I bit my lip and he snorted.

"Hardly…" He muttered and then slapped a hand over his mouth, looking aghast.

"My my… does this mean Kost here is not as innocent as I was led to believe?" I dropped my voice into a Southern belle accent and I channeled my inner Scarlet. Not that any of these guys would get it. "My sensitive female sensibilities are affronted by your carnal words, Mister Adaar. I say… my daddy will be very displeased with you if you spread me right across this table here and had your way with me!" I went to lay my head down and then paused. "What… was in _that_ wine?"

"Now… I'm curious what was that from because it sounded far too rehearsed to be a joke." Varric questioned, placing his cards down.

"It's a play from my home world, where in a woman lusts after her cousin but ends up marrying a - hey… what the fuck was in that wine?" I sniffed at my mug and frowned at it bewildered.

"I told you. It was _Tevinter_ wine." Bull said again and snickered. "It's really strong but you seem to be handling it well."

"Though you look a bit flushed. Are you okay?" Kost was looking at me worriedly, the small bout of confidence he had gone. "I'm sorry…Varric dragged me into it."

"But…" I turned in my seat to look at Frail who was turned away, his shoulders shaking. "You… oooh you traitor…"

Frail turned his mirthful gaze to me and then guffawed loudly. "I'm sorry… but even Alon couldn't get you to sing another song. I figured Varric might be luckier… And I'm curious… this one has a dance too?"

I glared at Varric who was staring at me slyly. "Don't bullshit a bullshitter, Girlie."

"Oooh Lesson learned, Master Tethras. Lesson Learned." I grit my teeth. "You know what… I hope you got the instruments down, _Varric._ Because CHALLENGE ACCEPTED." I raised my hand up and stood up, no doubt drawing stares from others. I gulped more wine down, feeling it heat up my throat and stomach pleasantly.

"Oh don't you worry about me." Varric whistled and I heard footsteps and managed to turn, seeing Stitches bringing up a lute, or it looked like a lute.

"Huh…well show me a preview of that while I get ready." I turned in my seat and stretched my leg out, curling up my trousers to reveal my legs.

"Get… ready?" Kost asked as Varric chuckled but the beginning of the beat strummed from the lute.

"If I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna do it right. I didn't take drama class in secondary school for nothing." I muttered as I laced up my trousers and made them look short. It would hold with the laces I wrapped up and over and tied off.

"Mercy…" Frail hissed. "Your legs are on display." He went to push my trousers back down and I frowned at him.

"Oh puh-leaaasse. I've been to a nude beach before and strutted my goods on display for no less than fifty men along with my entire art class." I worked on the other leg as my head bobbed to the tunes Varric produced from the lute. It wasn't terribly off course considering it's a lute.

"Nude beach?" Bull perked up at that.

"Oh yeah… my home world… loads of nude beaches. Women go to them so we can get an even tan across our tits." _Mercy, uncensored._ I snorted to myself. "Ya know it's a good base but it's missing something." I tapped my lips and then eyed Kost and the small pile of winnings. I leaned over the table and grabbed two sovereigns from the pile.

"Hey! Those are mine!" Kost went to grab them from me but I dropped them into my breast band and grinned wickedly at him.

"Come and get them." I said huskily and he balked, face turning scarlet. "Because you know… you hurt me. Here I thought…I've been much too forward. Messing with poor innocent wittle Kost. So cute and handsome and blushing at every dirty thing I say." I reached into my breast band and pulled the coins out and plopped them into my empty mug. "But here. I just need to you tap the mug to this tune."

I taught Kost the tune, he nodded obediently and soon it was an adequate sound that I could already feel in the base of my spine and made me anxious. It was the closest I've gotten to music from home and it made my heart ache but I was now alive with drink and _wanted_ to dance.

"You going to show us or stall some more?" Varric teased. I glowered at him and then stood.

"Two more things." I grinned and dipped my hands into my shirt, to my back and slipped my breast band up and off. Kost's face was so red I was a bit scared he was having a stroke. Bull was now fully intrigued and Varric was choking and wheezing. "Like I said, I'm going to do it _right_." I faced Frail who now looked guilty as he watched me drop my breast band in Bull's lap, my fingers tying the tunic up underneath my breasts with a large knot to make them pop up and using the laces to keep it closed.

"You keep saying you got something for me. Uh…" The timing was slower due to Varric not getting the concept of faster songs so I intended to draw out as much sexual energy as I could. But as I sang I moved to Kost who watched, still tapping the mug to the tune and trying very hard not to look at anywhere below my chest. "Well officer I don't mind to say you do." I turned my back to him and then leaned down pulling the bend and snap move. Oh El Woods, you are one wise woman.

"Now you're looking right where I thought you'd be looking…Legs come handy when laws in front of you…" I shimmied my hips and rolled my stomach, knowing their eyes would be following.

"These boots are made for walkin and that's just what they'll do." I stomped my feet loud enough to tap to the music. "One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you…" I was really feeling the music in me. I could almost hear Jessica Simpson's sultry voice in my ear and guiding my steps.

I sashayed toward Bull and he turned in his seat when I twirled my fingers. "You believe you've stopped me for a reason…" I turned and bent down so my backside was in his lap only I slowly rolled my hips and brought myself up, tossing my hair back and adding a little booty shake toward the end just for kicks. "Now I'm pretending my bendings just for fun. You keep playing where I got you playing... These double 'D' initials work to run."

Bull's growl was unmistakable even as his hand traced up my leg to cup my bottom but I moved out of his way and turned cupping my breasts teasingly.

"These boots are made for walkin and that's just what they'll do. One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you." I did my little stomp dance further into the clearing, letting me see them all.

My breath was heavy and I felt a little sweaty but I continued. "I'm the girl with the good boys who don't mean you no harm. This gotten way with Hazzard County charm. There ain't no crime in havin' a little fun." I giggled.

"Swerve my stride. Bat my sexy eyes. Where my boots at…" I broke and giggled madly and nearly tripped but caught myself just as I knew the most difficult part of the song came. "Strut ya stuff, come on!" I howled into the night air and really began the stepping dance.

"Hey ya'll wanna come and see something uh-uh-uh-uh. Can't touch, can I get a hand clap for the way I work my back." I swirled and did each step, swung my legs and jutted my hips to the tune to each side. "Tick tock all around the clock drop it. Push ya tush, like that…" Each word became accentuated with a breathy flair and I twirled coming face to face with Brig who gripped my arms and held my chin up. He squawked upon seeing something and his face became pale.

"Briiig. I'm singing and dancing-sing." I giggled and couldn't stop. But Brig yanked me away from where I had been showing off and into the tent where it was cooler.

When did it get so hot? "Briig I wanted to finish it." He pushed me into the bed.

"Sleep. You've had too much to drink." I barely understood him signing but nodded.

"I do feel kinda sleepy. Tuck me in Baby Brig?" I cooed and he pushed me under the covers even more and I didn't even have to try to fall asleep.

* * *

 **Notes:** The song Mercy sings and dances to is _These Boots were Made for Walking_ , particularly the cover done by _**Jessica Simpson**_.

 **SleepiPanda** : Oh yes. Mercy is a fangirl after all, she would have followed the fandom and would know some of the hilarious things we call our favorite characters. I'm trying to keep that to a minimum or else its gets too campy or she may just insult someone.

 **5 Coloured Walker** : I would love to write from the view point of a Qunari Kossith but there isn't nearly enough information about Par Vollen, because if I did take up that project I'd want them to land in Par Vollen. It would be interesting. Who knows maybe I'll find a way to supplement the lack of information and make stuff up, but we'll see.


	52. Eager and Responsive

**WARNING:** There is NSFW content in this chapter.

* * *

Brig kept me captive in the tent all night. His arms held me down with a sheet wrapped around me, even when I complained about being sweaty and hot. He just wouldn't let me up. Eventually if I woke up I just grumbled and settled down but I got really sweaty and uncomfortable. Uncomfortable in a way that had me missing Alon in ways I didn't think I would.

"Brig…" I croaked and peaked over the blanket in the dark. The gentle giant looked at me. He was still awake. I sniffed. "I miss Alon. Should I have-" I couldn't finish it because I was blubbering the next minute and Brig was pulling me close and patting and rubbing circles on my back.

 _What was wrong with me?_

I wasn't ever this sappy normally or aroused and I missed my Ginger ex-lover so much. The way his fingers splayed between us, the way his tongue worked me over and the way we just fit together so well. I'll be the first to admit that we were outmatched when it came to energy and we were never in sync or could come at the same time. But what couple could orgasm at the same time? That took time to achieve.

I sighed, frustrated and settled to sleep. I didn't want to think about this anymore. It was making me consider a certain Ben Hassrath seriously, and those thoughts were both scary and _other_ things.

The next morning I woke up drenched in sweat; just completely drenched. My nightclothes clung to me like a second skin and I felt dizzy and thirsty as I sat up. I was alone in the tent.

"Ugh…" I groaned and began crawling out of the mass of blankets. The tent flap pulled back and Brig was there with a bucket of water. "Water…" A throb in the back of my head had me hissing in pain.

I didn't wait for the cup, I stuck my hands into the bucket and drank from my hands. The water was cold and refreshing and I gulped it down in several gulps. "Damn… that was some wine." I grumbled, pulling my nightclothes off in front of Brig, who turned his back to me. I used a small rag and gave myself a quick wash down. My quick wash down nearly strayed because I felt overly sensitive to every little nudge or prod of my fingers.

"Fuck." I grumbled as I dressed in yesterday's traveling clothes. Even though I had bathed last night, I felt gross today. "I want another bath… ugh."

I climbed out into the morning light and hissed even more as my eyes shut close. It was near blinding light out. Brig stood in front of me as I slowly opened my eyes and stared. "Damn… hangover. Hold on." I went to touch my head, magic flaring a bit too wildly but Brig pulled my hand down. "Brig what?" And then he was placing something in my hands. By the scent, it was embrium tea and something else.

"Hangover cure. Don't use your magic, we might need it later." Brig signed, a little frantically but I nodded. It made sense, except you know I had an ocean of mana. However, I sipped the tea and whatever else and it felt good. Problem was, the night's events were coming back to me as I squinted out at the camp as others were packing up.

"Oh…oooooh god." I groaned and stepped back from the camp as I remembered the way I had practically gave Iron Bull a lap dance. "Oh god… oh my _fucking_ god." I covered my face and hid away behind a tree. I must have gotten really shitfaced.

"Mercy?" I snapped to look at Frail who cautiously stepped up but when I turned my gaze to him he gaped at me. "Maker… you're still…"

"What?"

"Nothing. Are you alright?"

"Yeah fine… oh aside from the fact I completely acted like a … like a fucking slut… in front of everyone. Oh god." I groaned into my hands and rubbed at my eyes. "Why is it so bright?" Brig stepped up and glowered at Frail and I did a double take. "Okay. What happened with you two?"

Frail looked down guiltily and Brig shifted uncomfortably, his short hair hooded his eyes. I didn't like my two best friends fighting, for any reason. With arms crossed, I mustered all the authority I could in my voice and stared them both down. "Boys," My voice raised an octave and I felt my head ache a little. I placed my hands on my hips to seem commanding. "Tell me, what happened."

Brig refused to look at Frail and Frail wrung his hands. "There… there might have been something else in that wine but I swear to the Maker I didn't know. I only asked for any wine from Bull and he directed me to the stash they found in that last Slaver camp. Krem had never heard of it but it smelled sweet and I know how you…" Frail trailed off as though his rambling was going to make me any less curious.

I stared the rogue down and Brig fists clenched and his teeth bared.

 _"You do know that's Tevinter Wine?"_ Bull had told me last night. I remember that and he seemed unsurprised by the way I had acted.

I looked to Brig. "What was special about that Tevinter wine?" I peered up at my Thedosian foster brother and he frowned and then sighed.

"Wine from Tevinter is strong. Stronger than Ferelden anyway." Brig began. Frail shifted uncomfortably next to him. "It doesn't taste strong, and is sweet. But the wine you drank… it is normally used on slaves. It's made with magic to act quick, so there is less…struggling." Brig finished and then pulled his arms close to his body. His eyes vulnerable as though lost in memory.

"Brig…" Frail gulped. "I'm sorry. I… I didn't know."

Brig had been a slave. A slave who had his tongue cut out so he couldn't talk about the things his masters were working on, or in what they had been doing to him. And that was a wine to make a slave struggle less. And Brig refuses all sexual advances, even from his closest of friend.

I gulped and pulled Brig into a tight hug. "Oh… Brig. I'm so sorry you had to experience that." He sagged against me and I spied Frail looking anxious. I pulled the rogue into the hug, despite Brig going tense briefly and then resumed hugging back. "We're both sorry. I know it's not our fault. But that doesn't mean…" My voice cracked as I thought about it. Brig as a slave as a child and then using that.

"Mercy?" Frail pulled back from me as tears dribbled down my cheeks.

"I'm fine. I just… that's... I'm sorry I don't know. That's so cruel of Tevinter to-to do that." I gasped and hugged Brig closer while I ran my fingers through his hair. He seemed to relax but was now rubbing my back comfortingly. "It happened to you and now you're consoling _me_." I laughed bitterly and then pulled back, wiping at my cheeks.

"You're still under the influence of the wine." Brig signed as I finally calmed down enough.

"What do you mean?"

"Your eyes, they are dark and they've got a purple ring around them."

I stared up at Brig. I was a bit sensitive to the light. I dug into my pack and pulled my compact out and nearly balked at how widely my pupils were dilated and the faint purple circle around them. "Holy crap…" I muttered. "What do I do? It will only get brighter during the day. I'm going to be in so much pain…"

"Stop using magic until it wears off." Frail said and finished packing away our tent.

"Magic... why?"

"Magic makes it last longer." Brig signed to me as he slid my compact into my pack and hefted my bag onto his shoulders.

"You don't have to carry that." I muttered.

"You're going to be really tired today…" Brig halted what he was going to sign but then gave me a small smile. "…little sister."

That brought a fresh bout of tears from me and more hugs.

When the camp was packed away the group began moving. It was getting brighter out and just like I had said, I was in pain. So I kept my eyes closed and my hand clung to Brig's elbow as we walked. Occasionally I peeked my eyes open and side stepped rocks or obstacles that Frail alerted me to with a nudge.

"Is Boots asleep on her feet?" Varric's unmistakable voice had me snapping my eyes open but I winced under the glare of the sun. Of course there wouldn't be any clouds. But we were no longer on the coast and sunny clear skies were far more common.

I hissed but sent a glare at the dwarf. "What did you call me?"

"Hmm? What was that _Boots_?" He teased.

"Oh no."

"Oh _yes_."

"No. No… no!"

"Accept it, _Boots_."

"I forbid it! That will not be my nickname!"

Varric chuckled and grinned. "Your performance was breathtaking, _Boots._ "

"Nooooo." I whined and whimpered, pouting at Varric who chuckled at my expense. "Great… now all I need now is my very own Swiper." I grumbled and rubbed the bridge of my nose.

"Swiper?" Iron Bull asked stepping in toe with Brig, who tensed but did nothing. The Ben Hassrath raked his eye down my form and I shivered.

"Erm…noting." I shuffled closer to Brig and kept my eyes down at the ground, using my loose hair to hide my red cheeks.

We walked briskly for a few hours and then we stopped for lunch. Or at least I thought it was for lunch but no one was unpacking anything and Kost was speaking with the scouts and Bull who then relayed some message to the chargers.

"What's going on?" I looked around curiously as the group began moving toward Lake Calenhad.

"We're going to be hiring a boat from the docks. It will cut our travel in half, as we'll be picking up supplies and purchasing a cart at the Gherlen's Pass." Kost explained.

"I've got some contacts in the village at the pass. So we'll get some good trade from Orzammar." Varric mused as we drew closer to the Lake. I was still a little sensitive to the light but there were clouds rolling along pleasantly and blocking the sun every now and then.

The docks came into view and they were not the docks I remember from the first game. Where it was a simple pier with a little dingy for a boat. There were several piers with several boats.

There were also armed and tense Templars standing at attention and patrolling the docks. There was the Spoiled Princess Inn as well as a few buildings and stalls, merchants selling their wares. There were others about, mostly travelers there for a bit of trade but not a lot.

"Iron Bull. Varric." Kost called to the two of them as they approached the docks. The Templars watched Kost approach with severe apprehension. I was instantly worried about me, Dalish and Solas. We had staffs, very obvious staffs with no blades and they had two large crystals at the end of theirs; whereas mine was just like a tree branch. I immediately began using it as a walking stick. Especially with me cringing with each step.

"Come along." Solas directed the rest of us to the Spoiled Princess Inn. The owner of which gave Solas a crude look. Solas matched the look as he ordered food for the whole group. Coin was exchanged and ale served.

I sighed as a wooden cup was set in front of me with ale. The scouts were still outside as it turned out, ready to move our gear onto a ship. I sat at a table with Frail, Brig, Lyna and Solas. Solas leaned back in his seat and was silent, where as Lyna and Frail were talking knives, daggers, and bows. I didn't understand any of it.

Brig grabbed my cup and drank my ale. "Thanks." I looked toward the innkeeper and frowned. He was grumpily filling mugs and having two elves serve them. One elf was a dead eyed and highly obedient sort. There was something off about him, a wrongness that came off him in waves.

"He's tranquil." Solas said soft enough for me to hear, his body now angled toward me. I felt my heart sink. I looked at the elf longer, trying to see the burn. Slowly as I concentrated I could just barely make out a faded sunburst on his forehead.

"You know there is a way to reverse it." I shifted closer to the elder elf and he considered me.

"I know."

He went silent and I scratched at the table. "About our conversation-"

"We will continue it when you are more receptive." Solas said and then leaned back to meditate just as Kost, Bull and Varric entered.

 _Receptive?_ Just how receptive does one have to be for someone to come traipsing into your dreams? I'm pretty sure Solas was just being difficult. I pursed my lips, then went to get up and near walked right into Bull.

"Fff-" I held my tongue and glared up at the Bull.

"Let's talk." Bull muttered and led the way toward the back where a staircase up was. I looked to Kost who wouldn't meet my eye, nor would Varric. Brig was busy signing with Frail and I suddenly felt anxious. I looked to Lyna but she was now gritting her teeth over something Solas said and I didn't know the Chargers, nor trusted them, enough to save me from Bull.

I bit my lip but slinked after the Qunari and found a single room door open. In it was a wooden tub and Bull was hefting buckets of steaming water into the tub.

"Uh…" I purposely left the door open but Bull now closed it shut. He pulled a stool out and pointed at it.

"Sit." He said.

Rebelliousness was not a phase I ever went through but I felt it rise suddenly. "No." I squinted at the Bull, challenging him. He turned to me fully, amusement at my attempt to stand against him. But when I didn't budge he took a step toward me, predatorily.

Instinct drove me to step back despite me screaming internally to stand my ground and that seemed to drive that wolfish grin across his face and that chuckle that had stoked a heat to pool into my center. There was a tense moment as we stared each other down, until he took another step forward and I squeaked. He laughed.

"Relax. I only want to apologize and talk." Bull explained and pointed to the stool again. I grumbled but walked over and sit. Bull sat down in front of me on his own stool and then his hands were on my legs, gripping my calves.

I yelped and pulled back. "I thought we were talking, not…" My voice trailed off when his fingers dug into my calves where they most ached from all the walking and he massaged them. I grunted at first, the pain quickly leading into pleasure and I moaned gratefully.

I had been massaging my calves but there is only so much you can do between the short breaks we took and with no oil. But Bull got right into the problem and had me moaning. I covered my mouth as his fingers unlaced my boots and slid them off.

"That feels so good." I moaned into my arm as he continued the digging massage all the way down to my feet and then lifted my leg where his fingers rubbed at my soles and I quivered. Because now it was getting sexual, for me anyway. Though with the way his pupil dilated, I'm pretty sure he knew. "Uh…" I gasped and barely kept myself propped up as he turned me into jelly, wetness pooling between my legs, and I thanked the Maker that I was wearing leather trousers.

"The wine came from my stash. I… didn't know it was laced like that. But I'll be sure to check for magic in what we take." Bull spoke softly. "And I see you're still under the influence of the wine."

"What?" I moaned as Bull moved onto my other leg, my hand now grasping his forearm and gripping his muscles. He was all hard muscle and I groaned, fingers running up his arm. He let me too, let my hands explore and pretty soon I was touching his face. My eyes met his eye and my stomach clenched pleasantly.

I got off the stool and attacked his mouth with my own. He didn't stop me. His mouth angled against mine as I took charge and slipped my tongue against his and bit his lips. He groaned and growled but pulled me away the moment my hands strayed down toward his belt.

"We're not going to fuck." He firmly said and pushed me gently back onto the stool.

Rejection slapped me in the face and I stared up at him, bewildered and then I flushed. I just pushed myself on him like that and still nothing. Damn, the Iron Bull rejected a woman. That must be the first time… in history. I pulled my legs into myself, sort of disappointed.

"Hey, don't misunderstand. We're not going to fuck… _today_." Bull pulled my face to meet his seriously. "Much as I'd like to see you bouncing around on top, especially because you're so… _eager_." He chuckled deeply and nuzzled against my ear, nipping it. I moaned wantonly in response. "I'm just not the kind of asshole that takes advantage like that."

"Advantage?"

"Yeah. The magic in the wine makes you less choosey, off one sip. You had a whole cup. Kost and I had a long chat about it with Brig and Frail about it. If your eyes weren't back to normal by morning, we'd have to choose which one us was going to…" He left off at that but he could see I got it.

"So… you four _men_ made the decision _for me._ " I felt my haunches raising and I glared at the Ben Hassrath.

"As opposed to you jumping the first person to touch you even remotely inappropriately?"

He had a point. I didn't like it but at the same time, I was wary of exactly who I would jump if they touched me considering how I had acted last night off just words. _Words._

It could have been one of the Templars here. That revolted me somehow, and I knew who to blame for that kneejerk reaction.

"Plus, Brig suggested it be me, because of how receptive you've been." Bull pushed my legs apart now, fingers working at my trouser laces.

"Wait… wait… what exactly has to be done?" I halted his fingers. I thought it meant I had to sleep with someone but Bull had just rejected me.

"Make you orgasm." He said darkly and then his hand was cupping my chest through my tunic. I gasped. Damnit, this isn't how I wanted this to go. Well, at least I wasn't going to be riding the Bull any time soon. Or was I?

My back arched into his palms and he was pulling my vest open and my breasts were out. The open air making my nipples bud and perk up. Gooseflesh spread across my chest, and a red flush traveled from my cheeks to my chest.

I gulped as Bull patiently undid the rest of my tunic, his fingers brushing my breasts but not outright touching them. I whimpered each time as it was accompanied by a throb from within me. I was bare chested in no time but I didn't shy away. I sat there on display, letting Bull take me in without hiding.

 _It's not something he hasn't seen anyway._

That day in the forest made me tremble. Suddenly I was a bit nervous as Bull's fingers undid my trousers. He couldn't have seen below my waist that day. Could he? "W-wait." I tried to stop him but my trousers and small clothes were already pushed down revealing my predicament. Or rather lack of.

Hairless, bald and completely exposed, and my wetness glistening already on my quivering thighs.

Bull took a deep breath and let it out, blowing at my sex and I groaned, grabbing onto him. "This is a surprise… here I thought southerners were too prudish to remove their hair."

"Wh-what?" My legs instinctively spreading and making myself more easily accessible to him. He tutted approvingly. He was gentle, running his fingers down my thighs and teasing me open and I squirmed, knowing how close we were. I was almost in his lap as it was.

He didn't answer me, merely used one hand to press into my lower back, forcing me to arch. His thin beard scraped against my breast and then his hot tongue licked around my nipples and then flicked each of them. Iron Bull alternated between his mouth and his fingers, teasing my breasts and I was responsive. Moans and groans, sometimes my legs squirmed and even I could hear the smack of wetness there. My breath was heavy and the world around me was hazy and had a purplish tint to it.

"Bull… please." I begged.

He hummed and peered up at me, his teeth sinking in, hard around one nipple and tugged. Rather than crying out it ignited something in me. I was screaming one moment, and the next his tongue was in my mouth, shushing me as my body shuddered to completion. My hands gripping his horns as I pulled him closer.

I was off the stool and had climbed onto his lap. He hadn't stopped me but held me aloft.

I was coming down from that orgasm. Two things, I never come from just boob play, and two the purple tint to the world was beginning to fade. Bull pulled my chin up and eyed me. "Hmm… more."

"What?" I rasped out, my chest heaving. I was sweaty too.

"You still have that purple ring around your eyes." Bull was kicking my stool away and then turning us. "Into the bath." He grunted as I sat down on his lap, feeling his hardness through his trousers. I rolled my hips without thought and groaned feeling his throbbing erection align with my split cunt. The only thing between us were his pants. I bit my fingers to keep quiet.

Bull is _hung_. But everyone knew that, but now I knew that, intimately. Well almost. I shivered in excitement, wanting right then to ride him.

"Iron Bull, can I please ride you?" I peeked up at him as he pulled me off his lap, fluttering my eyelashes up at him and trailing my wet with saliva fingers down my breasts. There was the sound of rumbling from his chest. I loved the feel of it. I arched up and went to kiss him, to try to entice him. I wasn't in complete control of my faculties but I wasn't lying to myself. I really wanted to see if I could take him, just out of curiosity.

Too hot water met my backside. I yelped and clung closer to Bull but he lowered me in.

"Not today." Bull hissed, prying my hands off and dipping me into the water. It was hot, too hot but it wasn't burning me

"How about my mouth?" I asked staring up at him as he sat back. He was removing his harness and his other fastenings. I became thrilled, thinking he would be joining me, but this tub was tiny. It barely fit me as it is.

"Damn…" Bull shook his head, cupping my face. His thumb slid across my bottom lip. His hand plunged into the water and nestled between my legs.

He didn't wait for me to say anything, fingers pressing and prodding at my entrance. I was wound up already so it was easy to get me to come again. And again and again. Each time I was vocal, shivering in the ever cooling water. Sometimes he had me bite into his shoulder if I got too loud. But after each time, Bull paused to lift my head up, staring at my eyes.

I lost count how many times the Qunari undid me but my legs were weak, my abdomen ached and I felt sore even though I'd had nothing inside of me.

"There we go." He hummed.

I was collapsed over the rim of the tub and staring at him. "Hmm… Bull…my legs are like jelly. I need help getting up." I mumbled and watched him through my eyelashes.

He had no problem lifting me up. But the moment I was up I wrapped my legs around his waist and ground against his cock. That took him by surprise as he gave a grunt and managed to catch my legs. The stool banged against the floor as I clung to him and he fell back against it.

"I still want to, you know." I purred into his ear and rolled my hips despite the ache in my muscles.

"Yeah?" He grinned and nuzzled my neck, teeth digging into my clavicle hard enough to draw blood. I hissed in pain. "You want to Ride the Bull? I don't think you understand what that means, Mer."

"But I do, I really do. Leather…rods… paddles." I rubbed against him, teasingly raised my ass up to which he gripped my ass and dug his fingers in. A sharp slap on my ass came that jolted me aware of how dangerously close I was to coming again. I groaned.

"So it appears you do." Bull grinned. I heard him unbuckle his belt. "But do you think you can take me?" And then he was there, pulling me hard against his length, his girth and I squirmed. My wetness making it slippery for him as I bucked against him. He slid his head back and forth over my clit and pressed at my entrance teasingly.

"I'd like to try." I rasped and he chuckled, pressing up.

"Bull?" A knock at the door had us both pausing and staring at each other breathless. It was Kost. "The boat is ready."

Bull and I both groaned and he was tucking himself back into his trousers, despite my whining and pleas of "Just slip it inside, just for a little."

"Better finish your bath. We've got a two day boat ride ahead of us, if we're lucky." Bull winked at me and then picked up my clothes and boots and then dropped a package on the stool. "An apology from Kost." He winked at me.

"Wait… those are my…" But he was slipping out the door already.

"Hey Kost!" I heard from the other side of the door.

"Where's Mercy?"

"She's getting ready. Give her a few more minutes."

"Is she okay?"

Wait… a few minutes? I squawked and on shaky legs scrubbed at my sweaty skin with the now lukewarm water. There was still the matter of clothes. I eyed the package as I dripped on the floor, calling on a drying rune as I opened it.

"No fucking way."


	53. Distractions

I floated down the stairs.

That's how it felt anyway. These new boots Kost got me, made me feel like I was gliding across the floor with little to no sound except a very faint click here and there. They were enchanted, that much I knew because I could feel the magic coming off them. They were leather and had the proper supports for my feet. They were a little loose but I didn't give a damn because my legs and feet were in heaven.

There was also a new set of dark brown lace up leather trousers that felt like suede and a simple off white cloth tunic. No breast band or small clothes, as Iron _fucking-take-me-now_ Bull had taken my small clothes. What was he starting a collection now of my breast bands? It didn't matter. The tunic tied tightly when paired with the vest and leather jacket and they kept my girls in place.

My shoulders were exposed but it left them light so I could swing my staff around, not that I did much swinging. My tunic sleeves were tucked into fingerless gloves that were tied together with leather laced on the inside of my arm and they reached to mid-bicep.

The vest was also a dark brown suede and required the tunic be tucked into the trousers, so they were. The jacket was sleeveless and had a belt with several pockets and a new coin purses attached to it. The Jacket was a lighter brown with white trimming and metal accents here and there.

All in all, it was armor made for a rogue but I was wearing it. I suppose it was going with the theme of having none of the mages actually look like mages, minus their staffs. Dalish wore Dalish-like armor. Solas had his jammies. And Kost wore a combination of leather and cloth armor like me.

I stepped down into the main hall of the Inn. Bull was waiting right at the bottom of the staircase and Kost a little ways in. Everyone else was beginning to file out.

"You kept my small clothes." I whispered harshly to Bull. His teeth flashed in a dangerously sexy grin as his hand gave my breasts a cup through the leather and his rumbling chuckle had me blushing as my nipples were instantly perked.

"I know." He slipped toward the door and I glowered at him. Kost had caught the entire exchange and was blushing furiously. Pursing my lips, I slipped to his side and looped my arm around his.

"Thank you for the new armour. Especially for the new boots." I took a bold move, embolden by my success with the Bull thus far and pecked Kost's cheek, without touching his vitaar mind you. I knew that stuff was poisonous.

"It was to apologize. I… shouldn't have let Varric drag me into that." Kost fumbled through that.

"Hey. I've forgiven all parties. It happened. Best to move on. However… if every time you think you've wronged me somehow and you want to buy me things… by all means do so. I have no problem receiving new clothes." I smirked up at him as he led me out of the Inn and toward the boat.

"I bought it from one of the merchants here. I wasn't sure it was going to fit. But… I am glad you like it. I'll see if Harrit can't make you something more fitting back at Haven." Kost stepped onto the pier and I slowed. My eyes drawn toward the lake. The lap of water splashing up with the wind and against the wood.

 _My vision became blurred and dark as I saw the lightning dancing across the sky. I was dragged down into the swirling depths of the water. The darkness below me sucking me down but I fought my way to the surface, gasping and panting for breath. My lungs throbbed and my eyes stung from the harsh spray of the ocean. I was pulled under again, tendrils of green light sucking me further down. The water rushing down with me._

I was stumbling back from the pier as the memory faded at least until Kost's hand pulled me back to reality, steadying my steps. "Mercy? Are you alright?"

I felt the fear grip me as the water swirled around me. Why was this happening now? I spent five months on a fucking coast! _But not on the water, just near it._ I

"Yeah. I guess Bull tired me out more than I thought." I tried to be flippant, even as my heart clenched as I moved us further on the pier. My lungs aching from the memory of water in them.

Kost blushed at my words, but he held my hand a little tighter, despite me already giving his arm a death grip. There was no way he didn't know I was suddenly fearful, but he had tack in not to mention it.

The boat was a trade boat that ferried goods up and down Lake Calenhad and before the Mage Rebellion, would ferry new mages and Templars to Kinloch Hold. The captain of the boat, Marden, was one of three crew and was the son of a man named Kester. Or so he told us. He liked to brag that his father, met the Hero of Ferelden and that the Warden had gotten his boat back from the Templars. How, like his father, he was proud to help, especially for the Herald of Andraste.

I did remember a ferryman from the docks area in the games but that's about it. Truthfully I wasn't listening to him as he spoke proudly. I was more intent on putting one foot in front of the other as Kost and I climbed onto the boat. The others were already on and were settling in around the top deck on barrels and crates.

There was a below deck, and the sails of the boat were large. I could sense magic coming off them. Enchantments. I was beginning to think Sandal was speaking inside my head, given how amazed I was with Enchantments.

Kost cautiously let go of my arm to speak to the ferryman. I managed to move toward the center of the boat, where I could feel the sway of the water a little less. I clung to the side of the boat cabin and closed my eyes, putting myself somewhere else.

Like a grassy field, or a castle, or at camp. Anywhere but on a boat with water sloshing around me. My center of gravity shifted as the boat took off and a clawing sense of dread filled me.

I was going to fall overboard.

I was going to sink into the watery depths

I was going to _drown_.

"Mercy." A firm and a little louder than necessary voice called me and I eyed Varric who was watching me. "You okay?"

"Never better." I winced at the tightness in my voice.

"You're a terrible liar."

"Oh really? I couldn't tell." I gave a weak smile, my grip tightening on the edge of the cabin as there was a powerful lurch and the sails flapped in the wind.

"Maybe you should sit down." The dwarf suggested. "It is a long ride. I doubt you can stand for that long."

"Huh… oh yeah… yeah…" I slid toward a small crate and sat down on it softly. I couldn't see the water but the feel of the rocking was enough indication. However I felt the fear lessen slightly. I could breathe easier, at least until Varric pushed a larger crate in front of me and sat across from me. "What are you doing?"

"Figured we get started while we still have light." He pulled out a parchment and slapped it in front of me with a stick of charcoal.

I gaped at him.

He chuckled. "I thought you wanted me to help you with your common?" One brow rose and his trademark smirk spread. "Unless you don't feel up to it…"

"I do… I mean yes. That." I grabbed the charcoal and he slid closer to me.

Varric started out by figuring out where my writing level was. Which was, piss poor nug scratchings that just happened to form words. So he broke it down to the basics. He broke up the letters into sounds for me and then told me the details of the written language. From when to drop a letter, how to plural or make things singular, to the female and masculine forms. And then we got into punctuations and the boring details of why I couldn't just use an apostrophe to denote ownership, even though the dwarven language apparently had one but written common _didn't_.

"So stupid. It makes it easier to write for fuck's sake. Why didn't the dwarves want to add that." I muttered angrily and scratched out my last line of text. There was a small pile of parchment with my practice on it and my fingers were black from using the charcoal liberally.

"Probably has to do with wanting the language to be different, besides it's got plenty taken from the Dwarves." Varric pointed at a grammatical mistake in my sentence and I groaned as I began again. "You're not half bad. With a quill I'm sure it'd be easier, but ink is expensive."

"Yeah no shit." I frowned and squinted. The sun was setting and I could barely see. I went to raise my hand to form light but Varric pushed my hand down.

"Boots. We have _guests_ here. No showing off." Varric said as a warning and tilted his head toward the boat cabin, where I hadn't noticed a Templar standing guard.

Had he been with us from the beginning?

"Thanks." I muttered and Varric waved it off. I sighed and rested my head forward. "No I mean… thanks for distracting me."

"No problem, Boots." At my groan he chuckled.

I was still slightly terrified but it was much less so. I rested my head on my arms and listened to Varric pull things from his jacket and do something. I didn't have much interest, at least until a familiar smoke and smell had me turning and eying the dwarf's pipe.

And no, not the pipe I wish it was. But one he was currently lighting with a stick on fire from the lantern. He eyed me as he puffed on it and held in his breath before letting out the smoke.

"That's weed." I muttered.

"What? No Boots. This here is cannabi. Not a weed." He corrected me in a chastising manner.

Of course. They wouldn't call it weed that was just slang from Earth. I eyed the pipe. "Oh… where I'm from we call it weed. Just… slang for it." I explained and then squinted at Varric. "Might I have some?" I gave a smile and he choked.

"Never heard of a woman asking to smoke this, but sure." Varric held out the pipe. "When you inhale you've got to hold it in your…" He trailed off as I expertly, well not _expertly,_ sucked in the smoke and held it while handing the pipe back to him. I grinned and then to show off I hollowed my cheeks and let the smoke build up, forming circles with the smoke as I exhaled.

"Huh." Varric eyed the smoke circles and scrutinized me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm a whole host of random talents, which makes me useless for the most part." I smirked.

"I beg to differ. You've got a great set of lungs on you." Varric complimented.

It hit me. Varric Tethras smokes weed. He gets high and I giggled at the idea. Varric Tethras, famed writer smoked weed and got high. Well, either got high or used it to chill.

"…so how about it?" I'd not been listening and at my blank expression the storyteller snorted. "How about another song? Up to you. No pressure."

"Are you collecting them or something?"

"Can't help it if I do. I've never heard songs quite like that, or in the style you do it. And I've got a whole book of songs I've written and collected." Varric pulled his book out and showed me the songs he's collected and I got a brief glance of some he's written. No music sheets to go, although from some scribblings in the margin he had ideas for how the vocalist should be accompanied.

"Huh… well, only if you promise to make me out to be a beautiful lyricist in any books you just so happen to include me in." I snorted at the thought.

"Hah, I won't even have to embellish." Varric playfully flirted, making me choke on the smoke I dragged in. I coughed and he pounded my back to help me breath. With my breathing under control, I snickered at him.

"Careful now, Tethras. I may just give Bianca a run for her money." I croaked at him. I pulled a water skin up and drank and then hummed as I thought of a song. "Well see now that I'm pretty sure I'm on my way to being high I can only think up songs I used to sing while high or drunk off my ass."

"This'll be good."

"So the beat is actually simple. And I only ever sang it at events, competitions and generally when you want to get excited or pumped about something or you are excited. Usually a crowd is chanting it with you, or they will be anyway." I giggled now imagining hordes of Inquisition scouts on the eve of battle stomping their feet and clapping to it.

"Alright. How's it go?"

"Well the beat is… well it's like stomp-stomp-clap pause." I did the motion and then repeated it, stomping and clapping then pausing and repeating. Varric scooted forward to mimic me and we had the beat after a few failed attempts.

We were too loud apparently.

"What's going on?" Kost asked blearily. He'd been sleeping the day away, his left hand tucked close. I can only guess the mark was hurting but he was now sitting up. There were cots below deck but Kost apparently liked the sun warming him.

The others were on the other side of the boat, apparently having a ruckus ole time with the Chargers. Those on our side had wanted some peace and quiet. Well good they'll be missing out. Although, I spied Solas shift where he was laying down. We'd have to be a bit quieter.

"Boots is teaching me another song." Varric grinned and I sent him a withering look at the nickname. I still didn't like it. "Only this time she's _sober_."

"Pfft. Pretty sure I've got a slight high going on." I snatched the pipe from his hands and took another pull, puffing the smoke out.

"So long…" Kost yawned as he sat in our little group around the crate littered with my nug scratchings. "…so long as you're sure." He eyed the pipe being exchanged and shook his head. His eyes fell on the papers. "What's this?" He picked up a page.

"Oy! Wait no _no_ don't look at those." I began collecting the papers but he pulled one page before I could snatch it up.

"Kost is a big dashing qunari and I'd love to sit on his f-face and… _maker_ who wrote these?" His face turned beat red as I snatched the page from his hand. Varric was cackling as I managed to keep my composure despite my raging blush.

"If I was going to practice writing, I may as well have a bit of fun with it." I folded the parchment up and stuck it in one of my pockets. Well more like jammed it in there. I'd have to set these on fire. I wouldn't want the others reading what I wrote about them.

I coughed as Kost gave me a long look that pretty much was saying 'Why is it always me?' I snorted. "Right so the beat…" I against repeated the stomp-stomp-clap pause beat, only softer. Varric and Kost repeated it back to me and we got a steady beat going it was sounding great. "And then the lyrics while this is going on."

"Buddy you're a boy make a big noise. playin' in the street gonna be a big man some day! Ya got-" I would have continued happily but I was interrupted as I saw Bull cross the threshold to our side of the boat. The lyrics died in my throat.

"What's this?" He gave me a deliberate look and I glowered moodily at him.

"Mercy's teaching us another one of her songs." Kost explained cheerily.

"It's not one of _my_ songs. Just… songs from where I'm from." I hastily explained. No way will I take credit. That would be blasphemy.

"Oh?" His grey eye pierced right through and I felt as naked as I had been in the bath. His gaze flicked down to my collarbone where I hastily went to cover the, what I assume, is a very purple hickey. He grinned. The movement was not lost to Varric who merely scribbled something down.

I'm going to have to steal that book one day to find out what all he's been scribbling about.

"From the top?" Kost asked and I frowned but nodded.

"Buddy you're a boy make a big n- FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" I groaned just as Krem walked in and asked what the stamping was for. "That's it. To the other side of the boat. May as well if everyone is just going to wander over this way eventually. At least we can let Solas sleep." I grumpily stood up and swayed only slightly as the blood rushed to my head.

Krem had jolted a little at my exasperation, Bull snickered and Varric was already shuffling to the other side. "Better do as she says if we want to hear it." Kost was quick to follow.

"So what was the stomping? Oh!" Lyna asked Krem prematurely as I walked through the boat cabin to the other side behind Krem. The only available seat was between Kost and Bull, so I plopped myself there. Lyna was on Kost's right side so I gave her a grin.

"Okay… so listen up. I'm only doing this once so I hope you guys are fast learners…"

* * *

Mugs of ale clattered with the combined stomping and clapping of the Bull and his chargers, Kost's party, and the few Inquisition scouts there. Even the Templar was stomping along. I was nursing an ale, despite its terrible taste. There was a dwarf stood on top of a crate waiting while bobbing his head to the beat.

"Buddy you're a boy make a big noise playin' in the street going be a big man some day!" It wasn't just any dwarf. It was Rocky of the Chargers and he stomped with everyone.

"You got mud on your face!" Dalish hopped up to join, her accent giving it a twist that left me snickering into my mug. "You big disgrace!"

"Kickin' your ass all over the place!" Krem roared out. There was a few snorts of laughter.

"Singing!" Lyna contributed excitedly, the stomping really getting everyone excited.

"We will we will rock you! We will we will rock you!" The entire group chanted, even I did. Rocky pumped his fist into the air to the beat.

I leaned forward shouting out. "Buddy you're a young man hard man. Shoutin' in the street gonna take on the world some day!"

"You got blood on yo' face! You big disgrace!" Kost sang loudly next to me, unashamed.

"Wavin' your banner all over the place!" The Templar had long since removed his helmet and was drinking with the rest of us. He chanted and stomped his feet, a big grin on his face.

"We will we will rock you!" We chanted, stomped and clapped.

"Sing it!" Skinner laughed, a vicious grin spread across her lips. Grim grunted but stomped along.

"We will we will rock you!" Rocky jumped off the crate, while attempting to kick the air.

"Buddy you're an old man poor man! Pleadin' with your eyes gonna make you some peace some day!" An inquisition scout, by the name of Pellane or something like that. I wasn't sure but he was elven and shouting out the lyrics almost to near perfection. I loved it and he got slapped on the shoulder by Kost approvingly and the scout not once looked at Kost in reverence like he had been prior to this moment. Kost looked far more comfortable than he ever did around the scouts.

"You got mud on your face! Big disgrace! Somebody better put you back into your place." The whole group of us chanted at various intervals leaving a lot of us laughing at our poor timing but the stomping and clapping kept us going.

"We will we will rock you! We will we will rock you!" Someone yelled Sing it but it was near lost in us repeating the chant a few more times, breaking off into laughter and then Rocky slapped something on top of the crate, slamming it hard enough that it resonated with the stomp but it gave a loud explosion that was mostly smoke and there were a few shrieks. The Templar was up on his feet, stumbling up.

"Rocky!" Bull admonished with a growl.

"What? We will rock you right? SO I ROCKED US!" There were groans at the pun but the majority of us laughed and cheered. Toasting to that, mugs of ale clattering against each other. Bull was shaking his head. But the group began again.

The Chargers really liked this song. And they had fun changing up the lyrics. I listened to the song each time, feeling like I was tailgating at an American football game, and I just happened to be smooshed between two very large Vikings fans, at least until they turned and I saw their horns were very real.

I snorted each time but refused to explain why I would laugh until I was red faced and gasping for breath.

* * *

 **NOTES:** The Song sung here, in case you _don't_ know (in which case, I am flabbergasted) is _We Will Rock You_ by **Queen**.If you have never heard of it, I demand you listen to it. Now.

 **SrgtHamy** : Thanks! I honestly love writing this story so I'm glad you like it!

 **5 Coloured Walker** : Yeah. I may tackle that kind of Human falls into a Qunari in Par Vollen or Seheron story eventually. I quite like the idea. It has potential. Especially if I write in the time period where either Iron Bull or Fenris are in Seheron, and that can be my canon character connection. I even have a way to explain why they wouldn't use Qamek on him/her, probably worried about "soul sickness" and instead promote him. Hmmm... yes. So much potential. I'll have to write an outline before I say anything definitive.

As for the side story, it's on temporary hold until i get to a certain spot in this one. I need to ensure consistency or it will drive me crazy going back to edit things. I already have to do that. Also I actually have another story I'm working on as well that I am considering posting on here. It's a Dragon Age Character ends up on Earth, so the reverse of the Modern OC in Thedas story. However I'm not sure because I will be the first to admit it is blatantly Mary-Sue/Self-Insert Angst-fest.


	54. Longing for Pride and Mercy

Welcome to the Fade. Where the Spirits call and the Demons roar. And egg headed elves think its okay to drag you here whenever they blighted well wanted to. I wish I had the gall to punch the elf.

I recognized the swirling, pulling and pushing feeling, the lack of a scent and the general confusion of the fade, even before I opened my eyes in this weird dream world. It was similar to controlling one's dreams back on earth and I think that's how I was becoming accustomed. However the only times I have ever been aware of the fade was because someone or _something_ was involved. And considering the proximity to a certain Elven apostate…

"Ellie!"

A familiar warbled and stilted voice called, one not used to using their vocal chords. A voice I thought I'd never hear again, much less _shouldn't_ be hearing.

"Ellie!"

My breath hitched and I sat up, seeing my younger sister on my childhood bed in our shared bedroom. The walls were decorated in paintings, shelves full of pottery, and what walls were exposed was a mural I had outgrown and decided to cover. It was daylight and bright in here, the slanted walls of the attic were all glass filling the room. Clouds rolling in the skylight and I could see our neighbor's backyard. Bobby the bulldog running around in the yard.

I felt smaller and slighter laying in the tiny twin sized bed, especially against a large stuffed bear I used as a pillow and my princess themed bed sheets. And there sitting on my legs lightly, staring at me was Sissy. Celia, but I called her Sissy ever since I could remember. Her bright amber eyes and her mop of blonde curls exactly like I remembered. She was innocent and happy, as I preferred to remember her.

"Sissy?" I mouthed and she blinked at me, smiling widely. I choked back a sob.

"What's wrong?" Again the same voice. Sissy never much liked speaking vocally even though she could. Not since… _No._

I blinked back tears and took a heavy breath. A faint whiff of something filling my senses. That's odd. The fade didn't have a smell, at least in my experience. But this…it was just barely there but I couldn't pinpoint what smell it was.

"Where's daddy?" I signed to Sissy. The blank and confused look she gave made my stomach drop. I signed again and she peered up at me confused. I gulped. She couldn't understand sign language. Slowly her hands rose and tried to mimic my hand movements but the damage was done.

"You're not Sissy…" I frowned at the doppelganger as she winced and backed off the twin bed, sensing the game was up. I scrambled off the bed and turned an accusatorial look to her-it. "Why… why are you showing me my sister?" I seethed.

How dare it delve into these memories!

"I'm sorry! You were forlorn, somber, missing her. I-I wanted to help. Like the others." A voice that wasn't my sister's came from her- _it_.

"Like the others?" I kept my distance and moved toward the door.

"Yes. The mages…but I haven't sensed others in some time. And you were so-so _loud_. I couldn't let you suffer…I'm sorry!" It was a sweet and childlike voice that echoed and reverberated around me in the same way the desire demon had. I didn't like it. I didn't like this at all. I had used fire to kill that one, could I do it again? To what looked like my sister? A child?

I didn't even try to push at the fade around us. Instead I reached behind me, grabbing at the door handle only for it to fall back away from me. I gasped and spun, coming face to stomach with Solas whose eyebrows rose as he towered over me. _When did he get so tall?_ There was a squeak behind me and footsteps bounding against wood floor and then the sound of springs.

I peeked back to see the thing in Sissy's bed. "Hey! That's not your bed. G-get off of that!" I growled and the blanket atop it pulled up over its head. I ignored Solas and sprinted toward the other bed.

"Mercy. Stop." Solas said authoritatively, gripping my arm. I balked and glared at the elf.

"That _thing_ is in my sister's bed." I growled out, but paused, looking at the elf as he moved forward quickly and pulled me all the way back.

I wasn't stupid. Don't fight the fade nerd in the fade.

"That thing, is a _spirit_." Solas's words were a splash of cold water.

"A spirit?" Solas nodded at me. "Not a demon?"

"No. As surprising as that is, it has not become corrupted in your presence. Which is both a blessing and… an oddity." Solas peered down at me and then looked toward the bed. His grip loosened I yanked my arm away.

Sola's grey eyes softened as he approached the bed. "You are a spirit of longing. Are you not?" His voice was gentle and he stooped low, pulling the blanket up. Sissy's head peeked out and nodded.

"She… she called out to me. She was so sad and in pain. I only wanted to help. Like the others before her. You're sad too, but she's… louder." The spirit explained and Solas tensed when she referenced him, looking back to me.

"It said something about the other mages. What other mages?" I wanted answers. I didn't like this. I didn't like one of _my_ memories on display. Especially in front of him, in front of the Dread Wolf. I gulped. I needed it to go away. I looked around, trying to will it away. Instead all I noticed were that things weren't exactly how I remembered them. Lanterns instead of lamps, furs instead of the carpets, and what should have been the television was just a dark iron box. All of these things began to blur as I remembered them closer, changing before me.

"Do you not recall which lake we are currently traveling upon?" Solas drew me back and I frowned.

"Lake Calenhad." _Oh_. "Oh…Oh Kinloch Hold."

"Longing would sense the mages headed for the tower, those missing their family and reflect memories of them, to ease their fear and their sadness. To help with the separation for some." Solas explained as the spirit crawled out from under the blanket.

The figure of Solas holding up a pink and white floral blanket was both amusing and worrisome. I contained my anxiety as the room around us became more accurate as I looked.

"I couldn't get it all correct. I'm sorry….I should have tried harder. Your memories… they are so far away." The spirit was peeking out from behind Solas's legs and now the elf was examining everything around us with a curiosity that was both dangerous and helpful.

On one hand, Solas can attest to my being from another world. That would be helpful. Would take a load off explaining things or convincing others.

On the other hand, proof and Solas's testament would make me _more_ of a target. If it wasn't Tevinter it would surely be the Qunari. While I may have a deal with Bull until the Breach closed, I knew that if it was _proven_ I was an offworlder and could see the future, the Qun would come for me and leash me up like a Saarebas. That was assuming they didn't just outright kill me.

Suddenly letting Tevinter have me didn't seem like a bad idea. If I wasn't sure they wouldn't just as easily enslave me to study me, perform tests on me or heaven forbid use me for some blood magic…

Turns out you can hyperventilate in the fade. I was bent over and taking gulps of air in. To what purpose, I had no idea but I was sat on Sissy's bed and gasping between my knees.

"You are frightened." Solas stated nonchalantly from the other side of the room as he examined the bookshelves filled with children's books. He picked them up and thumbed through them as if they were delicate things, reading the words quickly and then smiling. The bastard wasn't even coming to help me.

I gulped as I felt the world sway below me. The faint sound of water splashing up. "How did I fall asleep…?" I looked to Solas and he turned to me finally. Longing was hovering near by, still disguised as my baby sister. It was unnerving. But I shuddered to think what its true form might be, so I let it be.

"You do remember. You are quite slow to realize things." Solas's thinly veiled dig at me was presented with a smirk and I scowled.

"Yeah… did you use your magic to make me sleep again?" My fists clenched.

"No. You worked yourself into exhaustion. As you were already in a heightened state of anxiety and fervor all day. When night came and the others slept, it was simply a matter of awaiting you to succumb as well. Although why you are afraid of water is _curious._ " Solas stepped toward me. "But that is not why I am here."

I did remember that after the Charger's rendition of We Will Rock you, I stayed up, watching the others eventually go to sleep and I roamed around, breaking in my new boots and simply not sitting still. Morning came and I had prepared breakfast given the small prep area and the low food supplies. I made grilled cheese sandwiches with the stale bread and cheese. Granted I had used my magic to make toast and melt the cheese, which I realized might not have been a wise idea with a Templar so close by but he was knocked out and hungover. The others seemed to appreciate the new dish and asked for more, but we had to make the bread and cheese last until we docked.

There was a sound of splashing water and I looked around me worried and focused on what else happened.

Throughout the day I flitted about on the boat, staying as close to the center as possible. Even when Varric distracted me with more writing lessons, I couldn't stay focused or fully attentive.

I just don't really remember how I fell asleep but that tends to happen when you're exhausted. "So why _are_ you here?"

"I sensed a spirit. I admit I was…worried about it." Solas looked to Longing but then walked toward me. "I had no idea I would be stepping into one of your memories yet you are no Dreamer."

I admit, I only know so much about Dreamers. They could remember the fade and even control it in their dreams. Otherwise Feynriel wouldn't have been pursued by demons. But… then how did I kill that desire demon if I couldn't control the fade?

"Our last encounter, you claimed to be from another world. I admit I was confused, for I thought you meant the fade. Yet my assumption was incorrect." Solas roamed the room and then opened the door that led out into the rest of the house, only it didn't. It cut off into a mist.

"Where are you going?" I stood up, and felt the boat swaying and nearly tripped over my own feet.

"I wish to see the memory. If you will allow Longing to fulfill its purpose, that is." Solas fixed me with an even stare and I looked toward Longing, as it watched me, shuffling its feet nervously, just like Sissy used to.

"What if I just… wake up?" I paused for effect. Hoping just saying the words would wake me but Solas was still there, as was Longing, waiting patiently. I sighed and rubbed my face but I didn't fight it. I stepped toward the door and the spirit stepped out of the door.

This was an old memory. All it would prove was that I am from another world, that's it. It wouldn't prove my ability to see the future. This memory didn't even have any references to the games in it. It was safe.

I looked up to Solas, still in my younger form. "Okay."

As Longing led the way out, the world changed around us, reflecting my memories. The hallway formed before us. Pictures, doorways, carpets and then stairs. All of it took shape and began sharper and more accurate as I looked at them. That faint smell grew stronger. "All this time… I thought the fade couldn't reproduce smells…" I muttered as I kept up with Longing who occasionally looked back at me.

"It can, but I gather in your case it must find something similar and must be a powerful enough memory to reproduce."

That explains why I couldn't smell the terrible diesel and pollution of my NJ apartment the last time. But this smell was powerful, it was almost like.

"Cookies…" My heart broke as we made our way downstairs and Longing turned into the form of my grandmother, long since passed. I could feel Solas moving around behind me, examining things as we passed.

"Your favorite." Longing's aged voice pulled me toward the kitchen, where what looked like fresh cookies were pulled out of an old iron cast oven, until the oven changed into the electric one from memory.

"Fascinating. How did it all work?" Solas muttered as he lingered in the kitchen, peering at the appliances. "What sort of magic-"

"There is no magic on Earth." I gulped, feeling the cookie melt in my mouth. I closed my eyes, blocking the tears that threatened to fall. I reminded myself this wasn't real.

"Earth?"

"My homeworld. I guess to make it relatable would be North America, the continent. Thedas is a continent, right?" At his nod, I smiled. "On Earth, there are seven continents. I've only ever been on three."

"Then how do you know there are seven?"

"Well people explored, over thousands of years. And they shared their findings." I muttered. I wasn't the right person to give an abridged version of Earth and human history. I was damn sure I would give a bias tale anyway.

"What are the elves like?" Solas asked as Longing led us to the living room and I sunk onto the couch there with a sigh.

Somehow I knew he'd ask about the elves. I almost didn't want to answer, in fact I waited but Solas waited too. He was patient and still looking at everything around us as they came into focus. Longing was back to being Sissy and sat across from me with a book on its lap, leafing through with a crayon.

Maker, how I missed my sister.

"We don't have any elves, as far as I know."

"None?" I shook my head and he hummed. "So all of this… was done by humans? With no magic?" At my nod he gave a disgruntled noise and then turned back to the shelves of books. "Are you certain? Perhaps the elves have hidden themselves?"

"There's a saying from my world. _History is written by the victors._ " Solas scoffed, his fists clenched before his back straightened. _Huh, that's odd._ "So… if there were elves ever on Earth, they were beaten back by humans. We do have some stories about elves, but we take them as fairy tales. Make believe, stories told to children to spur their imaginations." I pulled my legs to my chest, watching Longing work in the coloring book.

"We do have dwarves, but not like the dwarves on Thedas. And… I think any horned creatures like the Qunari would have definitely been killed on sight by Earth Humans. Anything different was often… deemed dangerous, strange, and evil." I continued but I don't think Solas was listening. He had moved to the front bay window which showed the neighborhood outside, or most of it. He watched the passing cars every now and then with curiosity.

"You're feeling better." Longing said, leaning toward me. "I am glad." Longing's façade fell revealing its true form, a misty amorphous light blue form. "I have to go now." Its true voice was melodious and neutral, leaving me in awe as it left. The world around us disappearing, leaving a grassy field. The couch I sat on stayed.

"You say your world has no magic. Yet you are a mage." Solas moved into my field of vision, his eyes searching mine.

"I don't know for sure. But I know on Earth I wasn't able to wield magic. I've never seen magic performed on my world, only tricks and sleight of hand."

"Yet you have remarkable control over your magic, for someone who grew up in a world without magic. When did you arrive on Thedas? I understand you are unsure of how?"

"Uhhh… I think it was… Firstfall? This past year?"

His eyes widened briefly. "Less than a year? Impressive." He looked at me critically. "Who taught you?"

"An ex circle apprentice and an ex senior enchanter? Though it wasn't very consistent and I learned on my own a lot. Usually when it came to me… like the time I learned Fade Step… I just wanted to run faster, to get from point a to point b quicker and then suddenly I was there." I smiled. Though the memory surrounding my first Fade Step was… tense, the wonder of practicing Fade Step when things calmed down was fun. Zipping around and freezing the ground was… _is_ fun.

"So you learned to control your magic… _without_ the Circle." Solas smiled, self-satisfied. "And the Chantry believes that mages would succumb to demon encounters. Yet here you are. Brimming with powerful magic and you learned, on your own, outside of the circle in a manner of months and your first encounter with a denizen of the fade is with a Spirit of Longing."

I groaned. I didn't think Solas would be political. "I mean… the circle has _some_ uses and this isn't my first spirit encounter." I grumbled.

" _What_?" Solas looked at me sharply.

"Like… some mages are terrified of their magic, aren't they? That's what makes them susceptible-"

"No. Not that that. This _wasn't_ your first encounter?" The elf stepped toward me, an intense examining look as his hand rose. I squeaked and scrambled off the couch. Now back to my normal height and body I could look him in the eye without having to strain my neck.

"No?"

"What was your first encounter?" Solas turned his back to me, his shoulders tense and he was walking away.

"Um… a Desire Demon."

"Are you certain it was a Demon?"

"Yes. It had horns and a purple body. I killed it though. With magic fire in the fade."

"Are you certain?" Solas turned back to me.

"Yes! I'm certain. It burned to a crisp in front of me. Though I haven't exactly been very good with fire magic…" I trailed off. He wasn't listening, instead he was looking out, his eyes flicking around as if searching.

"It can't be." He muttered softly and then looked at me, his hand touched my shoulder, gripping it, magic flaring up briefly before he snatched his hand back as if burned.

"What is it?" I stepped to him, his eyes flashed white.

"We are docking soon. You should wake up." He said it tersely, eyes white.

"Hey wait! Solas… what do you know-"

* * *

 **NOTES** : Writing these Solas scenes is a metaphorical minefield. I have to be very careful with what I include because Mercy DOESN'T know everything about Solas. Also, sorry for the delay in this chapter but I actually JUST got the Trespasser DLC. Its going to take me some time to work through it because the only save games I have are on the PS4 and not the computer, which is where I bought the DLC for. So I get to start a new game! Yaaaay. -facepalm- Thankfully the mods will make the playing go faster. No War Table waiting, increased inventory... yeap I should breeze right through it.

 **5 Coloured Walker:** I'm really planning out this Qunari story now. We'll see if I like the idea when I have the entire thing planned out. The DA canon on Earth story is an angst fest about addiction and stars -and I hate myself for this but- Cullen. I may try to clean it up a bit and make it "safe" for Fanfiction. net, who knows. I just wanted to try a bit of darker writing.

 **PurplePantherOfDoom** , There will be more, hopefully, fitting songs to come. I'm just trying to space em out or else it gets too cheesy and overdone.


	55. The Frisky Bronto

I grunted and flailed right off someone's lap and straight to the floor. I nearly smacked my head against the wood if I didn't catch myself in time. "Ugh…" The sway of the boat had my stomach upturning and I was scrambling to lean over the side of the boat, emptying everything I ate, which wasn't much.

"Woah… Mercy, you okay?" Kost's voice was first and he was pulling my hair away from my face as I upchucked into the lake. Tears streaming down my cheeks as the hollow feeling of knowing I wouldn't be seeing Sissy, ever again flooded me and the panic of whatever Solas had learned being kept from me.

"No…" I croaked, shaking, suddenly very cold. I wiped my lips and drank some water, as I stumbled away from the edge of the boat, the swirling darkness of water slipping away from my sight and settling my stomach as my legs caved under me.

"Bad dreams?" Kost leaned down next to me, worriedly. Had I been on his lap?

"Kind of. Just missing home." I mumbled, not wanting to go too much into it. Adaar nodded with a sympathetic smile and helped me to my feet.

We weren't alone on this side of the boat. Solas was there, but he was staring out at the approaching shoreline, his form cutting a sharp outline against the distant trees and mountains. Lyna was also here, she was holding a cup of something out to me. I got a whiff of it and it was embrium tea. Rather than comfort me, it upset my stomach and made a wave nausea pass over me.

"Ugh…no… no tea for me." I grumbled out, hand to my mouth as I felt like dry heaving. Lyna's brows rose but kept the tea back. I turned to Kost. "Why was I on your lap?"

"Well… you fell asleep on the floor. And I thought you would be more comfortable up here." Kost gestured to the bench by the boat cabin that he had used for sleeping under the sun. "But when I picked you up… you wouldn't let go."

"You're a strong clinger." Lyna giggled. I felt my cheeks warm and groaned.

"Oh maker, I'm sorry Kost."

"It's okay. I didn't mind, it was actually nice. Plus you looked like you needed a good sleep." He chuckled and I smiled gratefully at him. We sat around and talked while we waited for the boat to finish dock. Well they talked, I kept sending glares toward Solas.

When we docked, I was the fastest one off the boat. Feeling the security of ground and dirt under me eased some of my nausea but not all. It was manageable. Some of the others laughed, others sent me sympathetic looks but I didn't care. It was good to be able to feel grounded and no boat swaying below me.

"Soak it up while you can. We'll be back this way to head further south on the lake." Varric meandered up next to me, his pipe out. This time he was smoking elfroot.

"Ugggh. I'm not looking forward to that." I knew traveling around Ferelden would take long but weeks just to go from the Storm Coast to here? Granted we were walking. Didn't Kost recruit the horse master yet? "Why doesn't the Inquisition have horses?"

"Hopefully by the time we get back to Haven, we will have horses." Kost said cheerfully as we waited for the few supplies we had to be loaded onto a cart.

"What's keeping Horsemaster Dennet? Are the watchtowers not built or something?" I asked and both Kost and Varric turned to me warily. "What?"

"How did you know about the watchtowers?" Kost frowned.

"Remember, Killer. She's a _seer._ " Varric muttered but he didn't look convinced.

 _Well fuck_.

I screwed my eyes shut and pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Haven?" Kost asked. I was beginning to think I should have the discussion earlier than Haven.

"Yeah." I said tightly and looked up at the Vashoth apologetically. "Sorry… its… its going to be a lot."

"My list of questions are getting longer." Adaar crossed his arms.

"As are mine." Iron Bull stepped up behind me and I yelped, looking at him. His hand slipped into my jacket and tied a small purse to my belt.

"What?" I questioned as I reached into the bag and he gave me a wide grin as my hands enclosed around two breast bands and one pair of small clothes. I flushed as he chuckled.

"They're clean." He murmured.

"Do I even want to know?" Varric asked as I shoved the offending bag into my pack and glowered at Bull.

"Nope."

* * *

Gherlen's Pass is a trade route for those bound for Orzammar or wishing to trade with the surface dwarves. It also happens to be a trading village that houses the largest population of surface dwarves and their "Surface Dwarf Nobility" and caste system in Ferelden, outside of Denerim anyway. For a group of people exiled from Orzammar they sure cling to old dwarven traditions, even if they didn't have their stone sense.

The walk from the Gherlen Docks to the Pass was quick, at least until the incline happened. It was essentially a slow climb up a mountain, flanked by trees, rivers and connecting streams. We also weren't the only ones traveling that route. Bandits, though the Herald and crew managed to make quick work of them. Except when one of the archers managed to shoot Lyna through the knee.

I managed to refrain myself from saying a joke that no one would get here.

The moment we entered the village, Varric had positioned himself between the Iron Bull and Kost and drew his hood up. Bianca was even semi-concealed on his back as he wove.

There were actual crowds and there was a trading bazaar where people were peddling their goods. But the presence of armed guards every few stalls did not go unnoticed. People were on high alert and many were looking toward the Breach in the distance nervously.

The Chargers were not with us, as Bull got word about a job nearby so they went off to complete an "escort" mission. By the way Krem had grinned, I didn't want to know.

I looked up at the two Qunari who were being gaped at as the crowds parted around them. I supposed that was why Varric had nestled himself between them, so their eyes were drawn to the two horned "savages" rather than him.

Solas and I were right behind them and Brig and Frail made up the rear with the scouts. I'm reminded of how in combat in the games you normally keep the mages in the back or middle if you expect attacks from the front or both sides because mages are _squishy_. Except of course Solas. I peeked at him and he seemed completely impassive about the entire ordeal but was occasionally looking at a few items on the stalls. But not once did he look my way. _Prick._

I would have confronted him by now, but honestly I was a little worried about those who might overhear. I'd have to wait until a certain spy wasn't near.

"So you're the Herald of Andraste…" A voice addressed Kost. I had been too busy in my musings to note we had stopped outside a tavern, or I think it was a tavern? It was about two stories, though to be honest I have yet to see anything beyond that, and it was made of worn dark wood with broken shutters. A single swinging sign depicted a bronto on its hind legs and carved underneath it were the words "The Frisky Bronto."

I shudder to think who thought up _that_ name.

"Ah… so they call me." Kost responded and the man snorted. "I was wondering, did…Leliana send word we would require use of your tavern?"

"Been wondering when you'd show. It's not much but you've got use of my tavern. Not many blighted travelers anyway and better you than the Templars." The man grumbled as he led us into the tavern. It was as decrepit and run down as it was outside but there was a fire in the hearth and about three others working there, or more like three others sitting there. The tavern owner, whose name I didn't hear gave a sharp whistle and the three workers stood up. "Don't laze around, you three. We've got a special guest. The Herald of Andraste."

Kost looked miserable as the three were sent off to prepare rooms and food, all the while the two humans and elf tavern workers looked on in wonder and awe, but they squeaked whenever they peered at Bull too long, who would give them a flirtatious grin and wink. Especially the pretty red headed elf who kept her head down whenever possible. Her face matched her hair after only a few moments.

"Suppose you'll want to know about the rifts then?" The tavern owner continued. At the word Rifts however one of the workers, a young boy stepped up. He looked skinny and waifish and had a big bright smile on and large freckles over his nose and cheeks. He stepped forward eagerly and then pulled a rolled up parchment from a pouch on his belt. "This here is Tom, he does the hunting for me but he also reported in the rifts."

Kost stepped toward Tom, whose eyes somehow became bigger when the Herald addressed him. I was amused by this but walked away. I didn't find it surprising there were rifts in places we couldn't visit in the game. If you think about it, that's bound to happen. But I never even heard of this Gherlen's Pass much less knew there would be rifts here.

There were about a dozen or so rifts in the area that thankfully were outside of the town in the outskirts. But they are along common trade routes to the smaller villages and farmsteads. Tom, was a fairly decent scout, fast, agile, light on his feet and able to climb up to places no one else could get to. He'd been documenting where the rifts appear, while also staying a safe distance from them. So once we stock up, our small party will be trekking through the forests and closing the rifts and securing the area. Meanwhile more scouts will be on their way here to help with recovery in the smaller farms and any wayward demons.

"Um… there's also… " Tom shifted nervously. Tom eyed the pretty red-head elf and then looked up at Kost. "There were Tevinter Slavers around these parts too. I don't know why but there have been sightings. Head Guardsman Davide can tell you more about that, he's been keeping the village protected from them."

That drew my attention and also Frail, Brig and Bull's. "Tevinters?" I wrung my fingers, swallowing uneasily while I remembered the last time I had encountered them.

"Afraid of the Tevinters, Boots?" Varric asked jokingly but I frowned.

"What aren't you telling me?" Kost looked at me. I couldn't hold this back, especially because I was holding back my explanation so I sighed and told him that back when the Blades met the Chargers we joined up to attack a caravan of Tevinter slavers and one of them tried to kidnap me.

"Then you should remain here." Kost nodded.

"What?" I squawked at the Herald.

"Not to disappoint you, Mercy, but I agree. If they try to kidnap you amidst the mess of rifts… we might not be able to catch them. Plus you're not exactly the greatest of fighters." Frail patted my shoulder and I frowned, peaking at Bull but he gave a noncommittal shrug, which means he agreed too.

Damnit. I really needed to get better at my magic. I was beginning to become a liability.

"I'll leave Irondog with you, just as a precaution." Bull suggested and Kost nodded, slightly relieved the dog wouldn't be in danger. Slipper/Irondog is a war dog, Kost, better get used to it. I slumped into a chair as the others prepared to go, discussing matters of the map. Tom would be going with them, but he had a bow and could hold his own, despite his being a child compared to me.

Just as they were leaving, Kost sat next to me. I had my pack in my lap and I was fiddling with my compact mirror, which had sustained a crack in it, but thankfully hadn't shattered yet.

"What's that?" Kost peered at the small thing and I showed him. "A mage with a mirror? Why not just use a looking glass spell?"

"A what?" I gaped at him and then he held his hand out as a swirling plate of green and blue created a reflective surface. It looked like water, rippling as he moved it and then it settled. He held it up to me and I saw my face fully for the first time since arriving on Thedas.

I looked pale and sickly than how I remembered but compared to everyone else here I was practically glowing with life and health with an unblemished and free of scars face, off-white perfectly straight and formed teeth, naturally pouty lips, curled eyelashes, light brown eyes and long thick dirty blonde hair with minimal split ends. I was practically a model compared to everyone else here. And back home I was considered _average_.

"Woah." I immediately stuck my hand over Kost's and connected our magic. There was a brief moment where it felt… odd. Different to how I had done it with Alise all those many months ago, but I brushed it off. I chalked it up to it being the presence of his mark.

"What are you… oh!" Kost exclaimed as I formed my own looking glass. "You taught yourself how to do it that easily?"

"Huh?" I looked up at him as I had been pulling my eyelid down to check my eyes.

"Vain much?" He teased while chuckling.

"Noo… I just… well I don't know these spells. I've only had magic for like five… maybe six months. Cut me some slack here." I pouted and made the looking glass a tad bigger, getting Kost in the reflection as well. His brows were furrowed and I realized what I just said. "Haven...- you know what…" I sighed heavily. The looking glass disappearing as I rubbed my face. "I'll tell you when you come back. But… only you and maybe Varric. The rest… I want to wait until Haven."

"What about Bull?" Kost leaned forward while whispering.

"Bull is…" I looked back to see him petting Irondog and frowned. "I'll handle Bull."

"Alright. But I did have a favor to ask of you."

"Oh?" I turned to Kost fully and smiled.

"I'm leaving Pellane here with you because this is now an official Inquisition outpost, so we'll be receiving more scouts here in a day or two. I want you both to go through the market and get some supplies to prepare. Pellane will know what to get." He smiled and I nodded agreeing. "And…um. Here's… here's ten sovereigns." He slid a small coin purse to me. "I heard you complaining about Bull stealing your… um small clothes." His cheeks reddened.

"You know… he returned them to me when we docked?" I smirked watching the Herald's face flush even more.

"Is that what he…" He covered his face and groaned. "Well use the coin to buy more. Given how you two go on I expect he'll probably be ripping your clothes in no time." He managed to blurt out and didn't stutter, but his face was a tomato.

I cackled and then he chuckled good naturedly. "Oh man. Here I thought you were _actually_ as innocent as you presented. But you can be just as perverted as the rest of us." I poked Kost in the side and he yelped, jolting back with a giggle. Dread overcame him and I set about poking and tickling him and he gasped, laughing as he fought me off. "Ooooh… VARRIC KOST IS TICKLISH!" I cackled out and the Vashoth groaned as Varric could be seen pulling a book out and scribbling.

"Thanks Boots!" The dwarf hooted back with his own laugh.

The group left soon after, letting me know they probably won't return for three days. They left me, Pellane and Irondog behind with the tavern owner, whom I still didn't know the name of.

I looked to Pellane. He wore the standard Inquisition scout armor and looked at me. "Welp… lets see about getting this place outfitted for more Inquisition scouts, what say you?" I grinned at the scout and he chuckled.

* * *

 **NOTES** : I regret nothing with the name "The Frisky Bronto."


	56. Haggling

Pellane, Irondog, and I headed out of the _Frisky Bronto_ with our coin purses and two empty sacks. Our packs left behind in the rooms that had been made up. Irondog, who thankfully still responded by Slipper, walked vigilantly at my side. She stopped when I stopped and sniffed and growled at anyone who got too close.

"She's protective of you. Yet she's imprinted on the Qunari?" Pellane asked, bemused as he purchased leathers, twine, and cloths to be worked into more armor for recruits. I eyed some of the fabrics they had, particularly at some plaidweave. The yellow wasn't nearly as bright as I thought it would be, but the fabric was _cheap_. At least I think so. I didn't buy it though.

"Oh. That's because I raised her and her siblings." I pet Slipper behind the ear and her nub tail wagged excitedly and she licked me.

"You… raised a _pack_ of mabari? On your own?" The scout looked at me incredulously.

"What? I mean mabari are smart so it's not hard." _Was it?_ Did I have a natural affinity for raising mabari or something? If that was the case… why the fuck didn't I have one imprinted on me?!

"No. it's not but… it's worse than teaching toddlers." Pellane smiled. "I wouldn't have the patience for that."

"Oh believe you me… there were moments when I wanted to rip my hair out. Isn't that right Slipper? You and sister Trouble getting into all sorts of mischief." I cooed at the dog with my baby voice and she tucked her head under her paws in embarrassment. I snickered and Pellane barked before moving us along the Bazaar.

There were a number of stalls we stopped at. Each one Pellane purchased items. I tried to keep up with how much he was paying, at least until he started bartering. Haggling prices down and then one time, resting his hand on the two shortswords at his side.

We had worked our way to a stall that was selling an assortment of dried and fresh herbs. I spied elfroot, royal elfroot, embrium, lotus plants, and then my eyes feasted on some plants I thought I wouldn't see. Parsley! Oregano! Of course there'd be spices I just wasn't sure what they might be called here.

"So… Pellane. What did you do before you joined the Inquisition?"

I watched him measure out some herbs, my fingers trailing over the few plants I recognized. I sniffed at them. Perhaps I can dry them and ground them to use in cooking later. Though fresher is better.

"I was a servant in Denerim. I worked in the royal kitchens." He frowned and turned to the herbs I had been eyeing up. "Did you wish to purchase those?"

"Oh… well. Yes but I'm not too sure I know enough about haggling-" Pellane interrupted me and had the vendor give us a bundle of each of the herbs I had wanted.

"Oregano. Parsley, Fennel… and hmm this one is a bit more expensive. It's from Rivain." Pellane touched the plant I knew to be Basil. I mostly wanted it for cooking. "Are you having digestive problems? Is that why you need to Oregano? I did notice you had been ill on the boat."

"What…" I snapped my head up at the scout and he pointed to the herb as the vendor wrapped it in twine and handed it to me. I slipped it into my pack with the others. "Oh no I… just like to cook with it."

"You… cook with the Oregano?"

"Yes to add some flavor to it. I haven't been able to mostly because I didn't know where to find some." I wonder how long it would be that I'd find more.

"Messeres. If I may." The vendor's superfluous Orlesian accent threw me off considering he wasn't wearing a mask. "If you wish to add a bit of spice to your cooking might I suggest peppercorn instead?"

"She doesn't want any of that." Pellane stepped up but I heard _pepper_ and was instantly intrigued. I missed cooking with spices. Everything was so bland but beggars can't be choosers.

"Peppercorn?" I questioned.

"Lady Mercy. Peppercorn is very expensive." He hissed at me.

"Ah well. If it is out of your price range, then perhaps you will not do it justice. Forgive my assumption Messere." The vendor dismissed us.

 _Won't do it justice?!_ I narrowed my eyes at the pompous vendor and stepped right up. "Let me see this peppercorn. If it's what I think it is, I might like to buy it." Screw new small clothes! I'd take ground pepper any day!

The vendor's bushy black eyebrows and moustache rose as he smiled victoriously. He pulled out of his jacket a small potion bottle that was filled with round black peppercorn. I recognized it instantly. The vendor even opened it and I could smell it.

 _I wanted it._

"How much?"

"One sovereign." I didn't know if that was expensive but I needn't have worried because Pellane made an outraged sound.

"A whole sovereign! You must be mad, Messere! We could find it at a much lower price elsewhere." Pellane tried to pull me away but I stood my ground.

"Not many merchants carry pepper into Ferelden because we know you Doglords wouldn't know proper cuisine from dogshit." The merchant slipped the vial away and I glowered, pushing Pellane's hand off. I _needed_ that pepper.

"That was uncalled for." Pellane muttered.

"As you can tell by my accent, I am _no_ Doglord, Messere so I can assure you I can and will be able to use pepper in a dish that I assure you no Orlesian could ever match to my skill!" I puffed my chest out and kept eye level with the vendor who twirled his moustache in thought.

"Oh. Don't be ridiculous. You sound Free Marcher and many of you Marchers take inspiration from Orlais." He gave a laugh.

 _Pompous jerk._

"I am no Marcher, Messere. And my dish is one that no Thedosian will have ever had. An original recipe of my own design!" I let my latent Southern Jersey accent drawl out and that made the vendor pause as I quirked an eyebrow up.

"That may be, but I will not lower the price." He lifted his nose haughtily.

"Very well. But if I'm to pay such a ludicrous price then I require a sign of good business that _your_ peppercorn and herbs are of the best quality."

"You dare offend-"

"By giving me a bundle of these herbs here, at _half price_." I squared my shoulders. If he said no, I was going to be quite disappointed. Especially as our haggling had drawn some attention nearby. Guards and other traders were looking on. The Orlesian vendor narrowed his eyes and then looked down.

He gave me a long look and then broke into a friendly grin. He began collecting the herbs I had pointed to. Among them being basil, more oregano, parsley, fennel seeds, sage, rosemary, thyme, elfroot, lotus buds, and embrium. I tried not to look smug as I handed over the three sovereigns to pay for it all. "You drive a hard bargain, Lady Mercy was it?" I nodded. "I am grateful for your patronage. I am the third son of Merchant Lord Chamberlin of Val Firmin, but you may call me Hervé, my lady." He did a fancy bow that involved him clicking his heels together and bending precisely at a forty-five degree angle to me while keeping eye contact. "I have traveled the seas with my father's company and we have… dealings with Ferelden traders often. Their cuisine is almost assuredly dreadfully bland. I would be… interested in the dish you say you can create. Especially as you need so many spices and herbs."

"Well, Messere Harvey if I am able to find all the other ingredients I may need, perhaps you may get the chance to taste it. I shall send word tomorrow." I offered with a coy smile. His name sounded close enough to Harvey so I went with that, adding my drawl to distract from how I didn't know how to properly pronounce it. The vendor grinned pleasantly and grabbed my hand, leaving a light kiss across my gloved knuckles.

"I would be most honored, my lady."

As Pellane and I were walking away, I gleefully eyed my hoard of herbs in my pack. "What if you can't find what else you need?" The scout asked as we carried on.

That was the Three Sovereign worth question. I should be able to find most of the ingredients. Flour, eggs, salt… well I had stolen a small salt rock from the Blades stores when we left that I had been using to flavor our food thus far. I just needed… cheese and tomatos. Tomatos wouldn't be an issue. When we walked into the village there had been a whole crate of them and lettuce by the stalks.

"Wait right here." I muttered to Pellane and took off toward the stalks, where some unfortunate soul was locked in there.

"One bit to lob a nightshade fruit at the prisoner." A hand halted me and I looked up at the guard who was looking at me sourly. Slipper growled and the guard took a step back.

"One… bit?" I questioned.

"Copper? Coin?" The guard said slowly like I was an idiot. I scowled.

"How much for the whole crate of fruit?" I pointed to it and the guard narrowed his eyes.

"A silver." He said tentatively.

"I'll take it." I handed the guard the silver and hefted the crate up with some effort and walked off.

"Hey wait, aren't you going to toss it at the prisoner?"

"Nope!" I had a bit of trouble walking back to Pellane but he spotted me and bounded over, helping with the heavy crate.

"What on earth do you need this much nightshade fruit for?" He asked as he called over an urchin and had them deliver the crate to the tavern for a few copper coins. I grinned thankfully at them, eyeing their barefooted selves and muddy appearance.

"Well it's one of the ingredients I'll need." I grabbed one of the tomatoes and bit into it. Pellane gaped at me.

"They're poison!"

"What? No…oh for the love of Andraste. They aren't poison. Only the leaves are." I bit into it again and noisily swallowed. He still wasn't convinced and then I looked to Slipper and tossed her the fruit, which she glutinously ate it up.

"What…" Pellane looked incredulously at the dog. "They aren't?"

"Oh sure… believe me when the _dog_ eats it, but not when I take a bite out of it! You Ferelden's and your undying love of dogs." I huffed and Pellane flushed. "But I need a few more ingredients."

"Like what?"

"Well… how much more do we need to pick up to receive the scouts?"

"We'd need to pick up more food stores and visit the local logger. But I have the coin for that."

"Good. You said you worked in the royal kitchens, right?" He nodded and I grinned. "That means you know all about King Alistair's obsession with cheeses…"

"You need cheese." He groaned while looking up at the sky. I hadn't noticed his appearance much but his eyes were the brightest shade of blue I had seen since Cole. "Why is it always cheese!" He sighed. "Alright…which cheese do you need?"

"I don't know the name. I just know the texture, color, and taste." I blinked as he turned to me fully, his sandy brown hair ruffling, and I caught a peek of the tips of pointed ears. Huh… I didn't know he was elven.

"Alright… describe it."

"it's fairly mild, salty and has a bit of tang. It's white and when you bite into it, it's really soft almost fluffy sometimes." I hoped Thedas had a mozzarella equivalent. I really _really_ hoped they did.

"Sounds like Tusket cheese. Or Water druffalo cheese." Pellane's eyes narrowed in concentration. "You'll have to taste them both to be sure. They are mostly imported from Rivain, so it's expensive." He muttered. "But I know Gwaren has water druffalo farms so we might find it. I don't know if it's the exact same but it's as close as I can think of. There was a cheese vendor. Every Ferelden village has one since Alistair took the throne." He muttered.

"Oooh. Thank you!" I followed after Pellane. "What did you do in the kitchens by the way?"

"I was the… taste tester." He was moving fast through the village. "I made sure the king's food wasn't poisoned, and if it was I had to trace it back to where."

"Woah." I gaped at him. "Was there a lot of times that he was poisoned?"

"Not… not with a malicious poison. Mostly one of the King's trusted friends would slip in some… questionable herbs meant to send the King to the outhouse." Pellane looked uncomfortable.

"Trusted friends?"

"Blighted Antivan…" Pellane muttered under his breath with a shake of his head.

Antivan… oh. _Oh my god_. Zevran tried to give Alistair laxatives! Oh! Poor Pellane! I couldn't help the small giggle though and Pellane's cheeks reddened.

We came upon the cheese vendor and Pellane pointed out the two cheeses he described. I of course asked to taste both and while they weren't exactly what I wanted, they were as close as I think I would get. So I bought both. I also bought other cheeses and arranged for a pail of milk to be delivered first thing tomorrow along with some eggs.

There was more shopping to be done while we still had light so Pellane and I split up. I had a few coin left for myself and purchased some soaps from Orzammar from a lovely dwarven lady. And I did manage to get some small clothes as well as a few, what I'd like to call, "civilian clothes." Two pairs of cotton trousers, two shirts, five leather ties, and a dress.

Kost was slowly becoming my sugar daddy and I had no issues with this.

Back at the Frisky Bronto I checked out the hoard of goods all stacked in the kitchen and smiled. I was going to have a fun time tomorrow.

"Um… Lady Mercy… is there anything you require." The pretty red headed elf asked.

"Oh… uh… if you could draw a bath. Don't worry about warming the water. I can do that." I lifted my hand and wiggled my fingers. She seemed to yelp and jolt back a bit, fearfully, her head immediately drawing down. "Hey… hey why are you scared?"

"M-my apologies my lady. I-It's nothing." She kept her distance, scuttling back further when I tried to get closer. Then I remembered the way the boy… Tom had looked to her when he discussed the Tevinters.

"Oh… are you an ex-slave?" At my words she seemed to curl into herself, her arms wrapped around her waist. "It's okay. The Tevinters almost kidnapped me. I'm not fond of them either." I said it tentatively while stepping closer to her but she bolted out of the kitchen.

"I'll get your bath ready." She stuttered out in a hurry, nearly tripping over herself.

I'd never had anyone be _scared_ of me. This was new.

While she did that, I turned to prepare the dough, waiting for the yeast to react before mixing it. It'd have all night to rise and be ready for what tossing tomorrow. I gleefully made several bowls of dough and then walked out. Pellane was sitting by the hearth with a book in front of him and a mug of ale.

Do Ferelden's not drink anything else? Ale with breakfast, ale with lunch. Ale, Ale _ALE_! I crinkled my nose but slid into the opposite seat from him. He jolted and closed the book he was reading so fast I didn't get the chance to see to the cover as he covered it.

"Mercy." He said tightly, his hand covering the book. "I… thought you already retired for the night."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What were you reading?" I leaned forward, trying to pull his hand away from the book.

"No-nothing."

"Nn-nn-nothing?" I teased and then managed to pull the book out of his grasp only to gape at the cover. "Oh… oh _my_ , this is Swords and Shields!" I laughed and then sobered, looking at Pellane. "You must be pleased to have traveled with Varric so far." Pellane covered his face in embarrassment and nodded. "Well… come on then. Read it out loud to me."

"What?" he squawked and I slid my chair next to his.

"I'm still learning common and I want you to read it out loud so that I can learn. Varric isn't here so… you get to be my teacher for the night." I opened the book right in front of us as I practically pressed against him. His face reddened for a different reason.

"I… hardly think its appropriate teaching material."

"Au contraire, Messere Pellane. This is exactly the material I would prefer to learn from."

"You speak Orlesian?"

"A few words. Now stop distracting, let's get reading." I smacked the book and he groaned but relented, beginning softly. I read over his shoulder, having him pause when I didn't understand a specific word.

* * *

"The Knight Captain thrust her chestplate off." Pellane read softly.

"Take me she said breathlessly." I whispered in his ear as I read the words off the book.

"With pleasure my lady. The guardsman swooped down upon his superior, arms taut with rippling muscles as he swung her around, her pants coming undone under his nimble fingers." Pellane paused to take a shuddering breath as he turned the page.

"Oh _my_ …" I panted. We were pressed close and leering down at the page.

"Her mound dripped with want-"

"Lady Mercy your bath is ready."

Pellane and I sprung apart. He practically slammed the book onto his lap, where I swear I saw a bulge and I turned toward the pretty red headed elf, my face flush. "Yes?"

"Is… everything alright?"

"Uh-huh." Pellane grunted his response with a low whine. He must have hurt himself.

"Shall I wait to empty-"

"No no… I'll empty the bath when I'm done." I said tightly, slowly fanning my face. She nodded her head and excused herself with a simple curtsy.

We both released the breaths we'd been holding and then peeked at each other.

"I think I'll… retire for the night." Pellane coughed and awkwardly rose, keeping the book over his crotch.

"Same." I agreed and rose, following after him up the stairs. His room was opposite of mine and we gave each other a small goodnight wave.

After my bath I went to sleep, knowing I'd have to wake up early but I had pleasant dreams of a blue eyed elf across the hall swinging me around.

* * *

 **Notes:** The next couple chapters are going to be like this, nice calm, almost domestic. It can't all be PLOTPLOTPLOT. So yeah, have some more happy light chapters for a bit, especially after the teasing Solas gave. That will come to fruition... eventually.

 **GreaterGoodIreland** , You enjoy the Solas scenes, I dread writing them. I never feel satisfied when I write them because I feel like I never do him justice.

 **5 Coloured Walker** , Ah yes. Mercy doesn't know everything about Solas because she's never played the Trespasser DLC. So she is lacking in that knowledge. Where as we... we know. But I'm keeping it this way so that I can drop subtle hints about who he is that Mercy wouldn't pick up on but those of us in the know would. So those who haven't played Trespasser can still read this fic safely.

 **Skymoon18** , I'm glad you do. But I get anxious when I write these Solas scenes. I'm always worried Ill write him in an OOC manner. So I'm really reluctant to have too many of them and too fast.


	57. Cooking With Mercy

I didn't think this through. I grunted as I pulled at the cast iron pot filled with water, dragging it across the wooden floor noisily for a bit and then pausing, listening. It was early, really early. The sun wasn't even up and therefore there wasn't any natural light pouring in. The fire was low in the hearth in the main hall but I needed to get the pot back into the kitchen and then heft it up onto the fire in the hearth in there.

I blame my sudden exhaustion. All these months waking up so early and _today_ I wake up more tired than when I went to bed. On top of that, my back ached. I blamed the bed I slept on. Or maybe because I wasn't sleeping next to someone. I noticed the absence of Brig and Frail tremendously, reaching out in the night for them. It was depressing when I rolled over to find a mostly empty bed. Sadly Slipper doesn't quite cut it.

I huffed as I dragged the iron pot.

"What kind of idiot puts a water closet so far away from the kitchen?" I whined in a whisper and grunted even more as I dug my heels into the wood.

"Probably the same kind of idiot who fills a cast iron pot with water that she could barely lift." I berated myself, let go of the pot and fell over, huffing and staring at the ceiling.

I just wanted to get the water boiling while I prepared the tomatoes and herbs for the base sauce! That's all I wanted! It would take hours to simmer to the right consistency considering the batches I'll be making it in. I even had jars with little preservation enchantments and lids so I could take these with us!

Enchantments are a beautiful thing. Shame I wouldn't be able to do them on account of being a mage.

…

"I'm an idiot, its official." I stood up, rolled up the sleeves of my new beige tunic and used magic to move the cast iron pot. The water sloshing dangerously as I could barely control it as it rose up. I backed up and the pot tipped over, splashing some of the water on the wood. "Shit." I halted my movements and waited for the water to settle before moving again.

"What are ye doin?" The voice of the tavern owner came from behind me. The pot nearly slammed against the floor but he was fast as he gripped the handles and hefted it up. "Ah… you're just like Avery."

"Avery?" I eyed the owner as I calmed my heart. He'd practically came out of nowhere. His gruff and large appearance were slightly disconcerting in the low light but he was helping me, carrying the pot with ease to the kitchen.

"Aye. She does this, forgets she can't lift the pot filled with water. This is why I keep three buckets in the kitchen." He set the pot over the hearth and then began putting more logs onto the fire without being asked, picking logs that would burn the longest.

"Thank you. Not just for that but for letting me use your kitchens." I smiled up at the tavern owner as he wiped his hands and peered down at me. He was really tall for a human, almost as tall as Kost.

"No problem, ma'am. Hope you don't mind I'll be using the kitchens along side ye this morn." He was pulling on an apron that was hung up on a wall and then picked up a smaller one and handed it to me. I smiled gratefully. I hadn't thought to get an apron. His named turned out to be Wally. Not short for Waldo but short for Walgan.

Wally and I lulled into a comfortable silence. I did peek at what he was making. He beat the eggs and salt until they were fluffy mixed in flour and then poured in some ale. I frowned at that but it thinned the batter. Was he making pancakes? The stove top was well heated by then and I had moved onto quickly cutting up the onions and setting them in their own bowl.

When the pot of water came to a boil, I dipped in the tomatoes just long enough so that the skin would peel right off, ladling them out into their own bowl chilled water. I worked quickly, only burning my hand once. I peeled them with only a little bit of a mess. I set the tomato skins aside, I had plans for those.

There was a knock at the kitchen door that led outside and Wally opened it to see one of the farmhands with a pail of milk that went straight into the larder and a small basket with some extra cheese and eggs. Those also went into the larder, which I had lined with ice to really keep things cool in there.

Wally came back to the stove with a jug that he set by the hearth as he began to make small tiny pancakes in a skillet. They were barely an inch or two in diameter but he made many.

"Flat cakes. You're more than welcome. I make a batch of them for everyone that stays here. We've got syrup as well." Wally said as he noticed my interest. _Syrup._

I was just adding the tomatoes to the pot when the flatcakes were all done and taken out to the main hall with a bowl of the syrup. I added my minced garlic, onions, chopped oregano, thyme, basil, and a bit of parsley, because why not, to the simmering tomatoes that would have to simmer for a few hours to get the right consistency. Wally helped me raise the pot to be off the fire and then opened the shutters and the back door to let in air and light.

The tomatoes weren't the freshest but it'll have to do. I took some of the boiled water I had removed from the pot and served a few mugs worth of embrium tea, adding milk and a bit of sugar to mine. I walked into the main hall to see the pretty red headed elf whom I assume to be Avery, with Wally and Pellane discussing the scouts that would be coming. Slipper was looking up at Avery, begging for some of the flatcakes but she kept shooing her. I set the tea in front of Pellane and Avery, who squeaked. I meandered over to grab a flatcake myself and dipped it in syrup.

Then the six… _six_ Inquisition agents walked in and followed by the Chargers. The mostly empty tavern filled up quickly. I balked, taking the numbers into account for what I had planned for lunch, dinner, and tomorrow's meals. I'd have more than enough tomato sauce but dinner and dessert… might be an issue. I flew back to the kitchen almost instantly, not even letting Pellane introduce me to the agents and began cutting up onions and more garlic. I took only a brief break to tie my hair up into a messy braid that I pinned and further tied into a bun and went to work mixing more dough.

The sizzling scent of sautéing garlic in butter filled the kitchen was made even more tantalizing as I added ground pepper and just a touch of sugar to caramelize it, giving it a golden honey color. I pulled the baked bread from the hearth and let it cool, turning to begin kneading and rolling out the dough.

Then came the fun part. Now I wasn't an expert at tossing dough but I always at least was acceptable at it. I stretched the dough to a more acceptable size before lifting, anchoring and gave it one toss up so the excess dough in the center stretched and then lay it flat. It was too thick, but it would do. I did the same for the second, stretched the part that would be the crust a little more and then tossed the dough. A little more acceptable. I did this four times, laying the dough along the floured stone table.

"Woah." A childish voice alerted me to a presence on the last toss and I just managed to yelp, waking a sleeping Slipper out from under the table and she bound to stop the intruder. "I'm sorry! Please don't beat me!"

I dusted my hands off and noted the absence of the fresh bread and then came upon a child probably no older than eight scuttling away from Slipper, the fresh bread in his muddy hands and a few fruits and vegetables sticking out of his trousers.

"Beat you? Why ever would I do that?" I crouched down by the boy and shushed Slipper pushing her away. She gave a huff but went back to her post under the table, feeling the warmth of the hearth.

"I'm sorry ma'am… I… the others smelled something from here and wanted me to…to…" The boy looked up at me, his eyes going teary and his bottom lip purposefully quivering. Was he trying to play the cute act with me?

"Everything alright?" Krem and Pellane were at the entrance to the kitchen and I looked back at them.

"Yeah. Just a thief." I muttered and helped the boy stand up, and he clung to my leg, hiding from the other two.

"A thief huh? I'll call the guardsman." Pellane turned but I stopped him.

"Why must we? I caught him and the goods are here. Instead of… possibly having him sent to the stalks how about we make him work?" I was not fond of the idea of child labor but I have a soft spot for children, always have. "What say you boy? Help me out here in the kitchen and you'll have a nice warm meal."

The boy looked incredulously up at me. "But…the others will expect me."

"Leave the others to us." Krem smirked as he and Pellane walked out, once getting the location of these "others." I was teaching the boy how to pit cherries and berries when Krem walked in with five other urchins. Two he directed toward the main hall where Pellane took charge of them. "You've got yourself three more kitchen workers." Krem laughed as I took in the three boys who eyed the food stores hungrily.

Avery walked in then and despite her fear of me, she helped me. Or rather I told her I needed three pie crusts and she got to work far, far from me. The boys I had them gather as many sticks as they could find and had them weighed down with stones outside so the sticks hung over the wooden table we moved out there. Then I had them wash their hands until I could spot no dirt under their fingernails. The eldest one I trusted with cutting the long strips of pasta and the other two would hang them over the sticks so they could stretch and dry.

"What is that you're making anyway?" Krem asked as he stirred the pot of tomato sauce, still simmering away. He lingered even as I added a few drops of lemon juice.

"Tomato sauce."

"Looks like Llomerryn Red." At my confused look he continued. "It's Rivaini. They take tomatoes, the fruit of the nightshade plant and make a sauce that's supposed to taste and feel like blood. But yours… looks and smells completely different, it's chunkier too."

I'd never heard of this.

"RIvaini you say? Not Antivan?" I peeked at the Charger Lieutenant and frowned. I'd need to have a word with Delphine the next time I'm on the coast.

"So… you and the Chief?" Krem posed the question as I began grounding sugar into a fine powder.

"What… really? You want to have this discussion here. Now? In front of _children?_ " I gestured to the three young boys who paused to look up, curious.

"I just want to make-"

"That what? That I don't hurt Bull?" I snorted.

"Actually it's you I don't want to get hurt." He corrected.

"Little ole me? Aww. Krem de la crème is worried about me?" I teased as he groaned at the nickname.

"Don't you start with those nicknames too, _Boots._ "

It was my turn to groan but I nodded. But I froze, looking down at the powdered sugar. I wonder if I could make donuts.

"Look, you seemed nice, a bit innocent when I first met you but the way you've been going on with the Chief lately, I just want to warn you that he only ever _plays_." He left it ambiguous like that.

"Plays? That's an understatement." I muttered and shook my head. "I'm a big girl. I'm allowed to _play._ " I know the Bull _can_ be in a relationship with the Herald according to the games. _Hmmm. Bull and Kost, there's an image._ I grinned to myself at the mental pictures of Bull on top of Kost. "Besides, I'm not looking for anything serious right now."

"You're not?"

"Does that surprise you?"

"A little. You seem the type to prefer serious…play." Krem and I both cringed. Even that sounded wrong and risqué. "Well… so long as you're sure."

"I am. But thank you for worrying. I mean… who knew you'd turn out to be a brotherly figure to me. I could have sworn you flirted with me the first time we met." I smirked at Krem and he coughed.

"Yeah that was mostly to rile up Alon." He snickered.

"I noticed."

He left the kitchen soon after. And no sooner because the small kitchen became abuzz with activity and I barely had time to think as I set the pizzas to cook one by one. By the time all four were done it was already past noon but better late than never. I took the garlic glazed garlic bread out and set it out on the table in the main hall only to see it had been transformed in a few hours. It was cleaned, swept and all sorts of Inquisition banners and what not were hung up. One of the larger tables was repurposed for making potions and another held a few maps and missives. The scouts were discussing movements and trading routes.

The chargers were in a corner playing cards. They were in their "civilian" clothes and drinking ale.

"Ahem… lunch is ready." I announced and that got nearly everyone's attention as the two boys put the pizza pie platters down and I set the garlic bread down. I had already cut the pies into slices so it should be easy for them to grab. I stood by the table long enough to explain what each platter was, correcting their pronunciation of pizza, and how to properly hold and fold over the sliced so they could eat it easier. I'd made a four cheese pie, a nug bacon one, a meat sauce one, and a regular plain one.

The Inquisition agents were wary at first, until they saw the children gobbling it up. The Chargers practically swooped down on the table, nearly taking all of it. Apparently the smells from the kitchen had been making many of their stomachs grumble this entire time.

And then, Messere Harvey entered. I took one of each pie and a slice of garlic bread and set it on a plate for him. He greeted me, once again with the same bow and a light kiss to my knuckles, only this time I wasn't wearing gloves. It felt…odd. "I must say, my lady. I did not expect you to throw your lot in with..." He looked a little more done up since yesterday as he sat down across from me.

"Ah yes. I have joined up with the Inquisition and the Herald of Andraste." I interrupted him. "They are after all bringing order to these lands. I've been traveling with them for weeks now." That's a lie, a week. "And the work I've seen them do is amazing. I've even seen the Herald personally close a rift with the mark on his hand." I'll not have him try to bring down the Inquisition, not in front of me.

"I see." He looked down pleased at the pizzas. Once again I explained what each was, how to eat it and then waited. Based on the sounds surrounding us, the others greatly enjoyed the meal.

I don't know why I was nervous as Messere Harvey took a bit, but I released a breath when he gave a pleased hum and closed his eyes. "This is…" He paused and took another bite, slowly, eyes closed and that pleased hum was back. "Passion." He looked at me as he took another bite. "Fervor, Thirst Wanting. Merci this is delectable." What was it with Orlesians and describing foods like they were emotions? He took another bite, almost too big and too eagerly and I could see him reigning himself back.

"No need for etiquette. You must be hungry, eat. Go on." I took a large bite out of the plain slice I had set aside for myself and while it could not compare to a deep dish NY style pizza it was close, and that was what mattered. I practically swallowed my slice, but didn't get another, instead letting the others eat their fill.

"Lady Mercy, you have exceeded my expectations and I am a hard man to please." The Orlesian continued, drawing my attention. "I must…" He trailed off and I noticed his eyes were drawn elsewhere, downward.

I cleared my throat, drawing his attention back up to my face.

"I must have you- have more." He corrected himself, his hand touching mine.

 _That can't be good._

"There's plenty. But I really must go attend to the kitchen, if you'll excuse me."

I _had_ been nervous about the pizza being well received but as I stepped into the kitchen and the door swung closed behind me that nervous bubble turned into excitement.

There was no one else in the kitchen for sure. I even checked. I let the excitement wash over me.

I giggled, clapping my hands and then bounced excitedly. "Aww yeah, you did it."

My hand flared with magic and a looking glass pulled up in front of me. "Who's the best?" I asked my reflection. "I'm the best! That's right. You are!" I giggled some more.

"Achievement get! Introduce Thedas to pizza. Fuck yeah!" I pumped my fist into the air a few times feeling the success of the day bubble up. I slammed an imaginary football down. I made mock roaring sounds, raised both my hands up in the air and ran in place.

"You can't even come close to my cuisine Orlais. Haha! Can't touch this!" I sung to my reflection, using a ladle as a mic. "I told you homeboy. You. Cannot. Touch. This. Unf. Unf!" I proceeded to do an embarrassing rendition of MC Hammer's dance, even 'broke it down' and did the running man.

"Stop." I snickered. "Hammer time." I crossed my legs and spun, catching myself as I tripped and fell back against the counter in horror.

There at the door was Pellane, Krem, and one of the other scouts named Thornton.

My cheeks reddened and I froze against the counter, wanting the world to just swallow me up. Yeap, please Maker if you're listening just open a chasm right below my feet and plummet me to the void.

Of course that didn't happen. Instead my singing died in my throat with a little whimper and I floundered for words as the three of them looked equal parts amused, curious, and shocked. "I… uh. Um… you saw nothing?" I squeaked.

* * *

 **Notes:** The second hand embarrassment from writing that "MC Hammer" scene was too real. I kept having to look away because I just couldn't handle Mercy being a _total_ dork.

I don't know if you guys know this but Pellane is actually an NPC from the game. Only in ambient dialogue mind you. I spend an obscene amount of time listening to the ambient conversations sometimes. But Pellane is the name I picked up where Charter is speaking to an Inquisition Scout in Haven right by the first cabin. But Pellane will be back, I just wanted to begin to introduce the Multiplayer characters, and first up was Thornton whose physical descriptions are based more on his tarot card than what he looks like in Multiplayer.


	58. Orlesians to Impress

"What was that?" Krem was the first one to speak, even as I tried to phase through the countertop and wall. Note to self, fade step does not work going backwards.

"What was what?" I winced at how high pitched my voice was but I did try to play it off like they hadn't just caught me doing another Earth dance. One that I did not want spreading.

Andraste's tits I will not bring break dancing to Thedas!

"Mercy…" Krem's devious grin made me regret my life choices as he stepped into the kitchen.

"Don't tell Varric!"

"I'm definitely telling Varric. And the Chief."

"Noooo." I clasped my hands together. "Krem… please." I sunk to my knees and grasped the ex-vint and shook him. All the while he laughed at my expense and kept trying to pull me up. "Pleeeeaaassse Krem have some-" I bit my tongue.

"Mercy?" Krem cackled at my slip.

Even I had to grin. "Yes…" I sighed and then climbed back to my feet. "Come on, be a buddy and keep this a secret." I sidled close to Krem, sliding my arm around him and he snorted as I fluttered my eyelashes at him. "Please?" I quivered my bottom lip and Krem shook his head.

"I'll keep it from Varric. But no guarantees about the Chief."

I whimpered, thinking of Bull outing the existence of another ridiculous dance to Varric should he find out. Then again, he might not. "Better than nothing." I pulled away and then turned to Pellane and the other scout. I eyed them both warily. Pellane crossed his arms amused. "Think you guys can keep quiet about it too?"

"And what do we get?" Thornton, though I barely knew him, looked smug. He had the other kind of Marcher accent and from what I understand he's from Ansburg. He was dark and with a distinguishing scar over his right eye. He never seemed to go anywhere without his bow, sling of arrows, belt of daggers and cloak and hat.

"What do you get? Hmmm let's see." I looked around the kitchen in thought. I could promise them a pie but that was for dinner. Then my eyes landed on the tray of dough I had been working on and formed small balls and was letting them rise. I grinned. "Krem."

"What?" Krem did a double take and I snickered.

"I beg your pardon." Thornton and Pellane looked to the Charger confused.

"Not him. It's dessert. I call them Krems, Krispy Krems particularly." I smiled widely and Krem was glaring at me.

"What are they?"

"I can show you, and give you the first taste."

"Dessert? So… they are sweet?" Pellane eyed me apprehensively and I nodded.

"You can't be seriously naming them… after me."

"And here I thought you'd be pleased."

"For the love of… what are they even like?"

"Come on… I'll show you."

I did show them. Well first I had to cut out the center bits of each ball and set them aside. And with a small pot of heated oil and I dropped them in one at a time. You wouldn't believe how expensive cooking oil is. Worth every bit. I used one of the spare sticks to flip the dough and then hooked it, letting it drip and dropped it right into the bowl of powdered sugar I had ground up. I flipped it and used a spoon to cover it and then set the donut on clothe to cool. I dropped donut holes into the heated oil, all the while all three of them watched me.

It's too bad I won't have a proper kitchen to work in for some time when I get to Haven. Introducing Earth foods, snacks, and dishes to Thedas is quite fun.

I repeated the powdering and then continued frying the dough. May as well fry them all now, they keep well overnight. I set some sugar to warm with a spoonful of milk, creating a sugary white glaze.

"I thought she was the healer Harding spoke about." Thornton broke the silence as I worked.

Harding has been speaking about me? That's new.

"Our Head Scout has been telling tales of the Barbarian Healer she met on the Coast." Pellane explained to Krem. "Not quite up to your expectations, Thornton?"

I set one of the drying glazed donuts down and turned to Pellane. " _Barbarian?_ " I huffed. Well… considering how Emeric treated them… that's a fair assessment. I nodded my head, shrugged my shoulders and held out the glazed donut to Thornton.

"No. She seems quite civilized, for a Barbarian." He eyed the donut and held it out, sniffing it and taking a tentative bite. His eyes widened. I may have put a _lot_ of glaze on it. "Oh maker, that's sweet."

I smiled and held the plate up to Krem and Pellane who both grabbed a donut each and then began eating it.

"It's like cake, but it's crunchy under the sugar and soft on the inside." Pellane said between bites.

"Get it? Sweet on the outside with a layer of crispiness and then it's soft and gooey on the inside. They are actually called doughnuts but I call these Krispy Krems." I smirked and bumped my hip against Krem who snorted, powdered sugar puffing into the air as he chewed.

I continued hooking the rest of them out of the oil and letting them dry a bit before moving them onto the glazing and powdering. I wish I had cinnamon but sugar is more than enough. I piled the plate, smacking Pellane's hand as he tried to grab another one and then covered it with a cloth. "I know how many there are and if any disappear… I'll have your head. These are for _after_ supper." I gave all three of them a stern look.

They left the kitchen and returned to their duties, while I began preparations for the evening meal. The children had apparently been recruited to do some of the baser chores and they could eat and sleep here. Walgan had set aside a few blankets for them. The youngest stuck to the kitchens near me. His name was Dylan and when I wasn't bashing ram meat with a cleaver I was making snow with my hands and playing with him and letting him play with Slipper, who took to the boy well.

Supper was a very light affair of "hamburger pie" but it was made with ground ram meat, tomato sauce, an obscene amount of cheese and topped with a mashed turnip crust with parsley and more freshly baked bread on the side. I received quite a few compliments in the form of cheers and licked clean bowls.

The Orlesian had stuck around and spoke with the scouts about trade contacts, or so I heard.

When it came time to retire, I was exhausted. But I stuck around in the kitchen preparing for tomorrow more dough and setting the cherries and berries to freeze in the larder and ensuring the left over tomato sauce was ladled into the jars. I touched the enchantment when I filled each one and it glowed, sealing the jar. Dwarves are ingenious.

And once the kitchen was cleaned, counters wiped down I went to sleep.

The next day, I woke to a surprise.

As I made my way down to the main hall, having slept in as I had done all my preparations the night before, I noticed a small gaggle of gossiping…what appeared to be Orlesian Nobles. I assumed they were nobles as they all wore masks. They were sat on an ornately made table with plates, utensils, and even a vase of fresh flowers I'd never seen before. It stood out against the decrepit and old wood of the tavern. The Inquisition Agents were already out, presumably training in the open field not far off but there were a few that remained, occasionally throwing glances to the Orlesian nobles.

As I stepped down, one of the nobles rose and made his way to me making me freeze in place. _What did I do?_

"Ah, Lady Mercy. So good to see you once again." I knew that voice. The Orlesian gave me that fancy bow and I eyed the mask. It was silverite and lined in a velvet trim and his eyes peered at me. I could just make out the hairs of a bushy moustache from under the mask that revealed his lips.

"Monsieur Hervé." I eyed the table he had sat at, where an Orlesian woman with a silverite mask, ridiculous hat and dress and another Orlesian man with a more copper toned mask sat, both whispering to each other from behind their disguises. I turned back to Harvey and gave a light curtsy. I was wearing the dress today so I could do it with some confidence. It was plain compared to the gown the Orlesian woman wore, but it was far more practical. It was a dark green skirt with an off white top and it had two very large pockets. A dress with pockets, dear lord why were these not still a thing on Earth? "To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence again? And… the reason to which we have such fine dining table coverings and guests?"

He seemed pleased at my curtsy and gestured me further from the table. "I have spoken to a few of the other Merchants of note here at the pass. And they are rather curious to taste your cuisine based on my descriptions." He started and then leaned forward a tad, to whisper to me. "I have mentioned that your dish, pizza was most exquisite, surprising to find in a Ferelden trade town. They were intrigued enough that they have requested to partake in your culinary artiste."

My brows rose at that. Was it that good? Pizza is, yeah sure it's great but…culinary artiste? I'm no Master Chef, so calling a dish they've never had before _art_. Something was fishy. Still…it's not like I could simply refuse him that would be rude. Especially as his… compatriots were already here.

So I went for the direct route. "Hervé, you must know I had simply extended the invitation yesterday as a courtesy."

"And I appreciate the gesture. For truly you are a woman of sense and propriety." If I didn't know about the existence of the Grand Game, I would be flattered. He _wanted_ something from me. Yvette had taught me that much and while I wasn't nearly the accomplished player she was, I could at least recognize this. "Yet not only that but you have vision in the kitchens! A truly original combination of tastes, textures and spices! It was magnificent, an experience!"

Oh yeah, he's laying it on _thick._ I squinted my eyes at him.

"One I hope to share with the Baron and Baroness Devereux."

Barons huh? I eyed the two at the table. Perhaps this was a powerplay for Hervé, a way for him to raise ranks? Or maybe he was angling for something and was using a commoner like me.

"While I do appreciate the chance, Hervé but I must inform you I would be using the Inquisition's stores to do so and I am not comfortable in doing so." Truly, it wouldn't be right of me to use the supplies Kost trusted me in collecting for this.

"Ah but, Lady Mercy, I have discussed trade routes with your… scouts. Contacts with Orlesian traders who have neglected to traverse toward Haven. I understand the warcamp is in need of food, yes?" He looked at me. This was probably true and any sort of contacts for trade to open toward Haven again would be better than none. I chewed the inside of my cheek and looked back toward the Scouts who were now busy. I should ask Pellane or Thornton. I didn't know enough about the operations to make this decision.

"I can see you are still reluctant. But perhaps a gift will sway your decision." Hervé was pulling a medium sized bottle from his belt. My eyes zeroed in on the bottle. It was larger than the one the peppercorn had been held in and contained small dark brown beans.

Was that?

"I have selected this from my own personal stores." He opened the bottle and the sweetest smell wafted up to me, lightning my senses like a fresh brewed cup of joe. My eyes fluttered shut so I blocked out all other senses to truly appreciate the smell.

 _Oh my fucking god it was!_

I let out a small moan and it caused Hervé to chuckle. "I see you are familiar with coffee?"

"Yes…" he held the bottle out to me and I practically fell over to smell it more, hell I probably would have dumped the beans in my mouth right then to taste it but some sense of propriety held me back.

Coffee. Coffee! _COFFEE_!

"Then this will be yours, if you only indulge me for the day."

I am so… soo sorry Kost but I need this. I _need this._ "I would be honored to, Hervé." I smiled widely at the Orlesian and he looked smug for a brief moment before he smiled and placed a kiss on my knuckles, lingering a tad too long as he kept eye contact with me.

Then I was off to the kitchen. The bottle of coffee beans cradled against my chest tightly. I wanted a cup now. But it would have to wait. Breakfast first. Something for the Orlesians to have, and something quick to occupy them while I think of something new to surprise them for Brunch… or lunch? Shit did they have multiple course meals?

I entered the kitchen and Avery was waiting and wringing her hands.

"Mistress Mercy… I-I'm sorry he arrived at first light and insisted… Wa-Wally was away a-and…" She was still fearful of me but apparently whatever Harvey had said far outweighed that fear.

That set me off. It is one thing for her to be scared of me because I'm a mage but another for her to show signs of distress because of a regular old Orlesian. I narrowed my eyes. "Avery, what did he do?"

"N-Nothing…he simply pushed in. And he had me set up the t-table and… he le-left th-these…" She gestured to the counter where an array of beautifully ornate plates, tea cups, utensils and glassware sat. They looked very expensive. Even on Earth they would be.

"Don't… touch them." Avery nodded and we both side stepped around that particular counter and toward the bulk of the kitchen.

"Alright…well. I've dug myself into this one…" I looked around the kitchen. Pancakes? With some nug bacon? I probably would have preferred making French toast. OH!

French toast, I wanted to laugh. _French_. I should call it Orlesian Toast. I didn't have cinnamon though. That would be difficult to make without cinnamon.

I improvised. I had left over donuts from yesterday, surprisingly most of the scouts and chargers had been full and could barely eat anything more so there was still a fairly decent amount of donuts. They'd need something to drink with it too.

Wine would probably be optimal but Wine was scarce among the supplies. I eyed the embrium and then the glassware. Flute glasses from what I know about glassware. I smiled.

"Avery, I'm going to need your help." I eyed the elf and she took a step back but nodded.

Eggs were beaten until they were fluffy, bread was dipped into the mixture and fried on the stove and then syrup was lightly drizzled over them to give them a bit of taste as well as a little bit of lemon zest. I took some of the cherries and made a fruit syrup and as I arranged the _Orlesian_ toast on the plates, I scooped on the fruits and some powdered donut holes and a dusting of powdered sugar on top.

I wasn't one for presentation, just dump everything on the plate and it was more than fine. But these were Orlesians, nobility to boot. I had to at least try for presentation.

Plus it made me think of when I used to do the same with Sissy. Every Sunday we'd pretend we were gourmet chefs and attempt to make omelets before settling for scrambled eggs. As we got older it became easier to make better dishes but mostly it was for taste and not how it looked.

It took less than an hour to prepare it but I had Avery set the glasses on their table with the little buds of Embrium in them. The glasses had been warmed in a pot of boiling water so they wouldn't crack when I poured the hot water in.

"What iz that?" The Baroness asked as I stepped out to the table with the kettle of warm water. I was a little more presentable as I had properly braided my hair and straightened my dress. Curse this world for not having irons and ironing boards yet. The Baroness was pointing to the flower bud located in each of their glasses as Avery set the plates of food out.

I said nothing as I poured the water into her glass and she made a disgruntled sound. At least until the buds began to open and flower. A faint "Oh!" came from her and she was quiet as she grabbed the glass to watch the flower rise up, showing off its vibrant orange, red and yellow coloring, the water turning slightly pink. A flurry of Orlesian flew around me as the other glasses also bloomed.

This was how I'd been drinking my embrium tea, when _I_ prepared it. Mostly because I drank it early every morning and the steam from the hot water helped to clean the grogginess and stuffiness of waking in the cold and I liked to watch the flower bloom in the water. Not much to watch in the morning anyway.

When Avery set the dishes down and the Orlesians allowed me to get a word in edge wise, I explained the dish, told them what each component was and then fled to the kitchen with Avery. I had Avery sit by the door, watching them while I began preparations for a three course lunch with small serving sizes.

"What are they doing?" I asked anxiously as I set the pasta to begin boiling and mixing more dough for even more bread.

"Talking. In Orlesian, but… the Baroness she's… oh. She's giggling." Avery described as she peeked through a slit in the door.

"Giggling? Is that good?" Orlesians laughing over cuisine? Were they making fun of my "base" attempts at cuisine? _Shit_.

"I don't know. But they are eating…the Messere Hervé keeps pointing to the tea." Avery said and then stepped back. "I'm sorry I can't be of more help."

"If you want to know what they're saying, I could help you." Came a voice to my left and I slapped a hand over my mouth as I held in my shriek. Even Avery jumped and backed up as I all but crawled halfway across the counter taking Thornton in. He'd blended in with the backwall of the kitchen, in a particular corner that was shrouded in darkness. His clothes an even tone of brown that was perfect for blending in.

"Fucking … Damnit Thornton why did you do that?" I rasped once my heart calmed.

"Pellane asked me to watch over you." He removed his hat and examined it, a smile lighting up his eyes. Oooh, he was _laughing_ at me. "You should really pay attention to your surroundings. But, I can tell you what they're saying. I was once a part of the Orlesian army." He crossed his arms and leaned against the back counter.

"I… just how long were you there anyway?" I took a gulp of my own tea, longingly eyeing the coffee beans again, only to note there were a few missing.

"Long enough." Thorton pulled a covered cup off the counter, where the faint scent of brewed coffee came toward me.

"You… that's my coffee!" I hissed at him and he smirked as he sipped at it.

"I know. You were practically cradling it like a newborn." He chuckled but set it down. "So do you want me to?"

It took me a second to realize what he was asking but I nodded mutely, and slipped the coffee beans container back into my pocket. Thornton moved toward the door and cracked it open and closed his eyes.

Avery and I waited as he listened, nodding his head a few times and tilting it. "Interesting." He closed the door and then went back to his coffee, drinking more as we both looked to him.

"Well?" Avery asked for me as I glowered at him.

"Oh yes, they loved the food."

"That's it?" I pulled out some milk and sugar and Thornton eyed me. "if you're going to be drinking _my_ coffee at least let me make it right." He set the cup down.

"Well from what I know of Orlais, if they aren't outright insulting it, it was acceptable but if they are sitting there and eating slowly… and laughing gleefully and praising 'Oh ze little Marcher has quite ze talent' then I guess you're a decent cook." Thornton did an overdone Orlesian accent that had Avery giggling. He grinned. "They did say it tasted like whimsy and longing though." He shrugged his shoulders. "Orlesians, right?"

 _Whimsy and longing._ I'll take it. I poured in heated milk and some sugar into Thorton's cup and let him drink it, he gave a pleased hum while I glowered at him.

Well, at least Hervé would get in good with the Baron and Baroness.

* * *

 **NOTES:** I agonized over this chapter for far too long. I hated it for a fair bit of time there because I don't think I properly represented Orlesians but I need this chapter here because it sets up a future funny plot arc.

 **5 Coloured Walker** : I haven't played Trespasser yet, but I do have it and am working my way to it. But I will try to keep the spoilers out.

I was going to have it be spaghetti actually but it ended up being pizza because PIZZA.

 **GreaterGoodIreland** : I'm glad Solas is turning out okay. His zealotry will begin to be more obvious at a later date.

 **SrgtHamy** : Pellane will be a recurring character, don't you worry. I liked his interactions with Mercy too much to just let him go. Especially as he's a named NPC in game so I have a lot of freedom in what I can do with him.

 **Guest: Writer's Block** : It's fine if you skipped the "shopping" but I'd like to clear something up. While I did say it can't all be PLOTPLOTPLOT, I never by no means said any of these "Break" chapters are devoid of any plot related writing. In fact I try very hard to never have a "useless" chapter. Part of the allure of writing this fic for me is that there is a a lot of World Building and fleshing out the World where I make the world of Thedas more real. Where I take mundane tasks and chores we don't see in game or are ever explained the process they do them and I explain them and make them more relate-able. It's also a very key point to Mercy's character building that she has these scenes as she comes from a middle class American household so she is quite pampered, but is realistic in that she knows she shouldn't complain and therefore does these chores and tasks, albeit begrudgingly and with snide remarks and sarcastic comments to herself.

Also in these "break" chapters there are a number of subtle hints and foreshadowing I drop that reveal and come together for future plots. I've received quite a number of theories in PMs because of how carefully some people are reading, that some have even guessed some future developments and plot reveals, even some of Mercy's abilities and it's honestly pleasing and flattering to know some people have been paying attention to even the Break Chapters to note all these things. I've spent a fair deal of time planning this story out and when to reveal certain things that the Break Chapters are needed to also pace the story and break up some of the heavier parts.


	59. The Right Hand

There were no Orlesians today, just me and Avery in the kitchen, eating flatcakes and sipping coffee. She was still afraid of me, but much less jumpy. The last two days had been an ordeal for both of us. Between the initial cooking day then the Orlesian invasion of the inn that thankfully ended with them having an early supper and then retiring to their own tavern, we needed a break. Especially as scouts were being sent off to clean up the area, helping relief effort for the local farms with the routes cleared of demons and bandits.

Kost had been busy actually helping the people of the pass and here I've been playing nice with the local Orlesians and messing about with my not so easy bake oven.

I felt sort of guilty but what else could I actually do? Nothing aside from healing. So with most of the scouts out and no Orlesians, and no healing to be done, I was hoping for a little bit more of a quiet day if only to think up what I would have to tell Kost and crew.

Not to mention find a way to get Solas alone and talk to him about…well everything.

Avery was just cleaning up after the breakfast Walgan had made us when there was a great deal of raised voices coming from the main hall. We gave each a look before we exited the kitchen.

"WHERE IS KOST!?" Came a disgruntled yell from the training area outside.

 _Uh oh._

I knew that Nevarran accent. I tried to backpedal into the kitchen but Avery was right behind me and she squeaked when I bumped into her. We both jumped as the tavern door slammed open and Pellane, bless his heart, gulped and stepped right into the Lady Seeker's path.

I didn't even know why the Nevarran was angry but I definitely knew not to be in her way. I didn't even know why she was here, specifically. I thought Kost had said he left her behind in Haven, leaving him to travel with only Varric, Solas, Lyna and a handful of scouts. And now the Iron Bull and the Chargers too, and Frail, Brig and I.

Cassandra Pentaghast was everything I remembered from the game and more. Beautiful, strong and a sight to behold…at a distance. For when she was angry, her eyes were firm and deadly and the palpable aura around her read 'Do Not Fuck With Me.' Her short dark hair was accented by the braid that wrapped around her head and she had every scar I remember. Her smoky eyes stood out against her high cheekbones.

Her steps were quick and purposeful despite the heavy metal armor she wore, emblazoned with the Inquisition's eye. The leather skirt trailed after behind her and the large shield on her back clanked against her armor every few steps. She held her helmet in her hand and shoved it into Pellane's arms who sputtered.

"Scout Pellane, where did the Herald and that-that _dwarf_ go?" Her tone was clipped and her eyes narrowed.

"The last missive received by the Herald was just this morning, he should be back by tomorrow." Pellane, to his credit, kept his cool and his posture stiff and to form. He only stuttered once while meeting Cassandra's eye.

Avery and I were slowly backing toward the kitchen, trying to avoid notice. As much as I would _love_ to meet the Seeker, clearly now was not the time.

"Tomorrow?!" Cassandra's upper lip raised at the thought and her fists clenched. "Show me where, we must leave for Val Royeaux _immediately_." She growled and Pellane gestured to the map, from what I could tell it was one of the furthest farms from here.

Val Royueax? Why would Kost need to go to the capital of Orlais now? I don't remember the Herald needing to go back to Val Royueax.

"I will let the horses rest but then I will depart." Cassandra took off her shield and dropped it where Pellane had set her helmet. "I will require additional riders."

"Yes, Seeker." Pellane left the tavern to attend to those matters, leaving the Seeker in my presence, as I heard the kitchen door close. Avery had abandoned me.

Cassandra turned toward me at the sound and I froze for a brief moment, until her eyes softened. "Would it trouble you to bring me something to eat?" She asked softly, almost pleasantly.

"Oh… um no." I managed to say while under her scrutiny and her responding grateful smile left me amazed because it reached her eyes. It was a genuine smile and it made me all kind of uncomfortable as I felt my cheeks heat up. So I slipped into the kitchen and made Cassandra the best damn sandwich I could manage and tentatively walked back out with it and a cup of coffee to boot.

I could spy the bags under her eyes and she looked exhausted as she read over some of the papers on the table. When I placed the plate and mug down, again she gave me a grateful smile and sank down with a sigh and a rub to her temples. "Thank you." She muttered to me and ate while looking over more parchments.

I fluttered around, cleaning, sweeping and peeking at her while she ate, when she turned her eye toward the coffee. She regarded it before sipping it.

I should introduce myself. I should have when I gave her the food but at the same time, the woman is all kinds of intimidating. I mean she killed a dragon with the help of mages and saved Divine Beatrix III! She's the right hand of the divine! A Seeker of Truth with the abilities of a Templar! She could probably figure out I'm a mage but she wasn't doing anything or saying anything. Why… was that?

I still should at least say something.

Better now than never?

I stepped up to the table and her eyes turned onto me. I froze for a moment and my mouth opened just as the door opened and Pellane walking in.

"Seeker Pentaghast, we are short on scouts…" His gaze turned to me. "Unless Lady Mercy would ride with you."

I gaped at Pellane and shrunk under Cassandra's gaze as she rose. "You are Lady Mercy? The healer and seer of the Coastlands?" She questioned me. Her expression harsh as she really took me in, her head tilting as she looked me up and down, sizing me up before she nodded.

 _Coastlands?_ That's a new one.

"I-I… well yes?" My voice squeaked as I took a step back from the table. She was tall, taller than me but that may be because of the slight heels in her armored boots.

"You can ride with me then." How do you say no to Cassandra Pentaghast?

You don't. _Fuck._

Four hours later we were outside the stables where five rested mounts were, two Ferelden Forders, one Inquisition Charger, one Red Hart and a very _dead_ Bog Unicorn.

I was in my armor with my pack at my feet as I tentatively eyed the mounts. It was heavier than I remembered but I did purchase quite a few new things so it was weighed down. Pellane was next to me, apparently he'd been drafted to also ride with Cassandra, leaving the base of operations to one of the other agents by the name of Darrow who had only arrived with Cassandra. A Templar apparently.

Honestly I was a little grateful to be leaving if there was going to be a Templar nearby.

"Sorry about this." Pellane whispered as the mounts were pulled out.

"You just had to throw me under the cart…" I glared at Pellane.

"It's just to the herald and then we walk back and help the rest of the farmers." Pellane assured me.

"I'm supposed to be heading to _Haven_ , Pellane. I was left behind because I'm not good in combat…" I hissed at the blue eyed elf. He cringed. He forgot about that. "Lets just hope everything in our path is clear."

I peeked at Slipper/Irondog by my side. She'd be following after us. For a moment I wondered if she'd be able to keep up but no one seemed to say anything with her presence. Especially as the horses were brushed and saddled. Well most of them. The Bog Unicorn was just… there already with its saddle as though it hadn't been removed and it was stamping its hoof impatiently.

It was a terrifying sight and almost everyone avoided looking at it. From its stretched leathery dark black skin over the skeletal remains of a horse to its beady black eyes and the sword through its head, it was an unsettling creature to look at, yet I stared at it and it noticed me. There was… something familiar about it.

"Why are you not saddled?" Cassandra's voice clipped at us as she walked up and by her side was Ser Darrow, the Templar order's insignia on her chestplate and right beside her with a large pack was Thorton.

"Oh we were waiting for you."

I narrowed my eyes at Thornton as he mounted one of the Forders, followed by Cassandra on the charger. "Why is the living shadow coming with us?" I stepped up but Pellane beat me to the other Forder with another apologetic, yet teasing look.

Shit. I glanced between the Hart and the Dead Unicorn.

"Living shadow?" Thornton asked with a smirk. "I'll take that as a compliment. But if you must know, my lady." He winked at me. "It's because I grew up in Ansburg. I know more about horses than anyone here. So in the event anything should happen I can attend to them."

I squinted my eyes at him as I tried and failed to climb the hart and it bucked my pack off. Welp… this was going to be a trial.

"What about the hart and the… Bog Unicorn?" Darrow stepped up to help me onto the hart but no matter what it would not let me on it. I glowered at it.

First Horses, now Harts. I peeked at the Bog Unicorn.

"Well… Harts are like Hallas? I'm sure Lavellan can take care of that one as for the…well yes that one is undead I doubt it needs much care." Thornton smirked and Cassandra was already leading her horse out of the stables.

Darrow and I tried and failed to get the Hart to let me mount it. I cringed as I turned toward the Bog Unicorn and slowly approached it and Darrow mounted the Hart herself and it let her.

"I'm going to have to ride you, aren't I?" I spoke to the undead horse and it gave a huff of air, as though laughing. I extended my hand to it and its bony face came closer until I was petting it. Surprisingly, it wasn't nearly as hard and leathery as it looked. But that may be because of some of the fur still present.

It was also friendly, as opposed to the Hart that had nipped at me. So I strapped my pack onto the Bog Unicorn and slowly climbed onto it. Aside from the uncomfortable feel of its ribs and my legs it was completely alright. It didn't even buck me off. "Okay… well this is weird."

"I'll say. I've heard the tales getting that thing to Haven and then here." Thornton smirked as he grabbed the reigns of the hart and he moved toward Cassandra and Pellane. I held onto the reigns and attempted to direct the Bog Unicorn out by clucking my tongue and tightening the grip of my thighs.

Of course, it failed. "Come on… go?" I spoke and that seemed to spur the horse forward, easily dodging around the fences and stopping next to the hart that gave an annoyed nicker at me. I stuck my tongue out at the hart to the amusement of Thornton and Pellane until Cassandra looked back at us.

"Are you finished?"

"Yes." We chorused out like three students afraid of angering their teacher.

We took off, not at a gallop but at a much faster pace than we would have gone had we walked and then when we were out of the main trading town we galloped. For the first time since arriving, a horse actually did what I asked. I gave it encouraging pats, despite the odd sensation of the dead leather beneath my fingertips. The Bog Unicorn, which I named Fuzzy due to the tufts of fuzzy hair it still had along its body, was quicker and didn't tire out as fast as the other mounts so I could go faster for much longer, but usually only to scout ahead and then loop back to the group.

I'd never had this much fun on a horse in my entire life, and I got to say it was on an _undead_ horse to boot.

"This is so fun." I pet Fuzzy who gave a nicker of approval, even as I fed it while the others let their mounts rest and drink. Fuzzy was surprisingly still able to eat even with the sword through its skull.

When we got back on the path, Cassandra had me ride along side of her as we let the horses keep a slower pace as we made good time thanks to my scouting.

"You are not what I expected." Cassandra's voice was inquisitive as she looked to me.

"What exactly did you expect? To be honest I have no idea what people are saying of me. Thornton said Harding painted me like some Barbarian, which…" I had to give it to Harding that practically described what I was at the time. "…is pretty accurate description considering what happened."

Cassandra smirked. "I have heard of Harding's tale but I was speaking on Scout Beltrude's tales of you. She spoke highly of you and spun… tales of you being a Seer and saving your company from certain death."

Beltrude. _Beltrude._

"OH MY GO-" I smothered my yelp with my palm giving Cass a wide eyed stare. "Beltrude! Scout Beltrude! She joined the Inquisition? I was so… oh maker she disappeared on us and…" I trailed off. She had disappeared not long after the Breach. Emeric and Alon assumed she had been in cahoots, my words not theirs, with Bryant and perhaps Dugan had as well. I never thought she had been taking red lyrium or even knew her uncle has strayed that far. I was more worried that she had been killed by Delphine on the road purely for the suspicion of her allegiances.

So yes, barbaric is a most accurate word to describe the Blades, at least back then. Hopefully with Alon managing things for the Herald it will be a little more open-minded.

"Is everything alright?" Cassandra drew me from my musings and I nodded.

"Sorry I- well she disappeared right after the Breach. We weren't sure where she went and I thought… well I thought…nevermind what I thought. Oh maker, I'm so glad she's okay. She is okay right?" I turned to Cassandra who nodded.

"She's an excellent scout and works with the Inquisition's spymaster."

"Leliana!" I smiled and Cassandra did not look surprised when I did. That was _good_.

"So it's true? You are a seer?"

Shit. Let the _Inquisition_ begin. I just managed not to giggle.

"Not exactly. It is what the Blades of Hessarian called me but I just happen to know a few things about the future. I promised Kost-" Cassandra's brows rose at that. "-that I would explain it more in Haven but it's looking like it might be a while before I get to Haven so I thought to explain it when he got back…"

"And here we are." Cassandra finished.

She was a lot more reasonable than I envisioned, a lot more calm too. Was it because she already had an image of me? As some healer taken hostage by a barbaric cult? Would Beltrude describe it like that? So far Harding pegged the entire Blades as barbaric.

"Here we are." I muttered and then peaked at Cassandra who pushed the horses faster and the rest of us followed.

The Herald and crew were last seen not too far from the furthest farm on this road but as we approached it as the sun was setting it was relatively quiet. There was debris and signs of destruction that was now being cleaned up. There were also splashes of black ichor on some of the stone barriers, no doubt where demons had died.

"Stay with the horses." Cassandra instructed me and Thornton and Pellane followed after her, searching the houses as I sat with five mounts. The Hart really didn't like me, and the Forders for the most part were really large dogs that got along with Slipper who had kept up with us fairly well, for a war dog. The Barded Charger was a proud horse and stood separate from the others and I was just glad their reigns had been tied to a post. And the Unicorn...well Fuzzy was undead there wasn't much to be done.

I watched as Cassandra's form disappeared into the line of trees, leaving me alone. Out in the open, alone. By myself, with my shoddy magic to protect myself and the horses. I gulped and pulled my staff in front of me protectively and did slow circles keeping a look out. Slipper/Irondog sensed my unease and became on guard, looking out as well.

There was a rustling from the grass and the bushes. I charged up a shield and Slipper growled menacingly. The horses pawed nervously as I backed up to them.

Why the hell did they leave me here as a sitting duck, unprotected.

I stepped closer to Slipper as the rustling grew louder and then-

A fennec fox jumped out and Slipper was quick to attack it, tearing into it as it squealed. There was blood and fur and Slipper turned to me pleased with herself. I tried to smile, but it was an unnecessary kill, even if it was a little fox. "Well… you did good Slipper." Her nub tail wagged as I pet her and pushed the remains of the fox to the side, but Slipper kept dragging it back. "Fine fine, you can eat it."

I went back to watching the surroundings and turned, coming face to face with a blonde haired and grey eyed woman with a large smattering of freckles across her cheeks. She wore an intricate robe with a wide skirt and large pouches at her waist. When she smiled, I could see a gap in her teeth, that was how close she was.

The world shifted around me but I stumbled back from the woman. "What… how did you-" My voice echoed and I looked around. The world was hazy and green, the horses frozen, the grass still and I could see the bugs in the air but not moving, or they were but slowly.

The woman stepped closer to me, her hand grasping my chin and lifting it. I tried to pull back but another voice spoke from behind me. A voice that sent unpleasant chills up and down my spine.

 _"So this is the Herald's Seer?"_

 _Samson._


	60. Revelations II

_"So this is the Herald's Seer?" Samson's voice taunted in my ear as he drew closer._

The fields of grass and farmhouses were replaced with dark stone walls illuminated by an iridescent red glow from the jutting red lyrium crystals.

 _There was a harsh cold bite of shackles around my wrists. My arms strained as I hung in the dungeon. Snow covered the ground beneath me and my clothes, it fell from the iron grates my chains were tied to. My breath was haggard and came out in visible puffs._

Where was I?

 _Samson appeared next to the blonde mage. His pale skin was splotched with patches of red and his eyes glowed with each pulse of the red lyrium running through his veins. His Templar armor gleamed in red lyrium._

 _"You were never his. You were always mine." Her voice was gentle and echoed around the room as her hand cupped my face with an apology in her touch._

 **No**.

 _"Now now, Calpernia." Samson admonished and the mage drew back to glower at him. "She's here to serve **Our** Master. Isn't that right?" They both turned to me. She was not convinced and peered at me._

 _"Yes. Of course." She said but her face twisted with disgust._

 _"Isn't that right, love?" Samson's hand tilted my chin up._

 _"Yes." I rasped, leaning toward Samson's touch, craving more. I could feel the pulse of energy from the red lyrium in him, the hum of power. My throat ran dry and I wet my lips, drawing Samson's eyes to them. He smirked._

 _"You'll get your treat, when you say it." Samson's eyes narrowed at me and I whimpered._

 _"I'm here to serve Our Master, Corypheus."_

 **NO.**

 _I could see the horror in Calpernia's eyes as her lips thinned._

 _"Good." Samson leaned to me, his lips pressed to mine and I melted against him with a moan. He pulled back, only to replace his lips with a potion bottle. A gleaming red lyrium potion that I greedily swallowed._

 **NO!**

I stumbled backwards to escape the chains. The hazy red lyrium dungeon shifted and disappeared brightly. I sunk to my knees and frantically looked around. I was still on the road, still surrounded by farmhouses and fields and Slipper nuzzled against me, whining as my heart battered against my chest and my breath came out haggard. Blood leaked from my nose as I shook, suddenly very tired and very cold.

The sun was getting heavy over the horizon and so far no one had returned. No one had been present for the vision. I should have been worried by that, should have wondered what was taking Cassandra so long. Instead I ripped into my pack and yanked my sketchbook out. It was beginning to show signs of wear and tear with how often I've read it over.

I searched the small scrawled text. Reading lines and lines of what I could remember from the games, the variations the small quests I could recall and even some war table missions. I don't know how long I crouched there but long enough the evening chill got to me, my knees cramping as I devoured my own descriptions of each of the quests from the game.

Two pages, one marked In Hushed Whispers and the other Champions of the Just. There were far more details under Whispers than Champions, merely because I never did choose the Templars. I only knew a few things but one of them was that Corypheus's general would change depending on whether you chose the mages or the templars. At no point did either of the generals ever appear at the same time.

So then why?

Why had I seen them side by side? Working together? More importantly… why did I say those things? Why did I _feel_ those things? Toward Samson? A Templar?! I wiped at my mouth, trying to get the memory off my lips. I could still feel the absolute craving to be near him. My thirst and hunger and his lips.

I closed my eyes. What was it that I saw?

Voices in the distance had me looking up. Frenetic fingers closed at my sketchbook and shoved it back in my pack, along with everything else I pulled out.

"You left in the late hours of night, Herald! How would I know whether you would be well defended?" Cassandra's voice was harsh and admonishing Kost.

I could see Kost, Iron Bull, Cassandra, Solas, Varric, Lyna, Frail, Brig, Thornton and Pellane all heading this way from the line of trees. I tucked my pack back on Fuzzy and kept one single vellum out, along with a charcoal stick.

"I was fine, Cass. I had Lyna." Kost tried to placate the Seeker. "And now I've got Bull."

"Was that supposed to reassure me? He's a spy!"

"Believe me, I know the dangers of the… Ben-Hassrath well enough." Kost sighed. Their voices drew closer, so I made quick work of recording my "vision" down in hasty English and then slipped it away. I stood by Fuzzy, who butted his head against my shoulder and I pet him. Slipper/Irondog was already off, running toward Bull, circling around him excitedly. "Like he said, what good would it have done for him to keep quiet about why he's here from an _Inquisition._ "

Cassandra gave a sigh but sent Iron Bull a glare.

"Hey Seeker, if you want you can always ask your spymaster to interrogate me." Bull offered with a grin.

Cass made a disgusted noise and turned toward the horses.

"Those were _Dalish_ markings, Solas. I could have told the Herald what they meant if you gave me a moment to study them." Lyna snapped at Solas.

"As could I. I have studied the fade-"

"Yes the fade! And by your admission spirits show bias'd opinions about what really happened." Lyna snarled as she stomped her way out of the forests and onto the main road, alongside Solas.

"And do the Dalish not have the same bias?"

"Ugh… GAH! You're insufferable!" She growled.

"Can't you elves get along?" Varric sighed walking past the two of them. He spotted me hiding out by Fuzzy, whom he gave a curious side step around. "Boots? You alright there?" He said softly as the two elves continued to snip at each other.

"Yeah. I'm fine." I croaked, peering down at him.

"You're a terrible liar, Boots." Varric pulled me away from the group and then gaped. "Andraste's ass, you're bleeding."

"What?" I looked down at myself and noticed the streak of red down my front, leading up to my nose. "Oh… oh yeah." Varric pulled a cloth from his jacket and stuffed it at my nose. I held it there and he had me sit down while he rummaged for a health potion.

"Care to explain how that happened?" he asked me. I shook my head, staring at him openly. "Well you're going to have to explain it to, Killer."

I blinked at Varric confused. "Why?" I muttered. Varric's brows rose.

"Because I'm standing right here." Kost said and he dropped a health potion in my palm. "You look about as gray as Bull." He looked down at me expectantly with a softness to him. Cassandra also stepped close. Bull didn't have to, he made eye contact with me from afar, next to Brig.

I sighed exhaustion hitting me hard. "Are you leaving for Val Royeaux?" I flipped the cloth, noting it was soaked in my blood and then downed the health potion.

"Not tonight, but first thing in the morning. Mercy, are you certain you are well?" Cassandra knelt next to me, her hand lightly tilting my head up. I flinched back, reminded of Samson and she pulled back shocked. Bile rose in my throat at the memory.

"Sorry… sorry. I uh… I need to…" I crawled away and then stumbled toward a bush and collapsing as I emptied my stomach's contents, including the health potion.

"Good job Seeker. You repulsed her." Varric joked.

"Shut up, _dwarf_." Cassandra growled, her footsteps coming closer.

I blocked out their voices as another wave of nausea hit me. This one worse and my body convulsed, dry heaving into the bush and hidden away from everyone.

Instead of Cassandra touching me, it was the familiar touch and heat of Frail. I knew his scent and stooped low. "Was it a vision?" He pushed the cloth to my nose for me as I took in gulping mouthfuls of air, trying to settle my body down.

Brig and Frail were the only ones that knew would put the connection there. I was kind of glad but at the same time, I knew this meant I had to answer questions now. I didn't want to. I wasn't ready. And I didn't want them to know I might turn on them. Now that I know, I could prevent it, right?

But what goes wrong in the future that would make me side with Corypheus?

I drank another health potion, this time from my own belt and slowly rose to my feet. I did know one thing I had to do.

* * *

"My name is Mercedez Bryde. I am twenty-nine years old. I was born and raised in the United States of America and to be even more precise a state by the name of New Jersey. None of these terms you'll recognize because this place I'm from is not of Thedas. Not of this world. Whether it is beyond the fade or maybe even beyond the Void… I don't know. I couldn't tell you."

That's how I began with all eyes on me. Well mostly. Kost had agreed with me that his inner circle should only be present, and of course Bull, Frail and Brig. So when I showed up, with my sketchbook and vellums present, I drew their attention. Thornton and Pellane were absent on account of them being on first watch.

"Another world?" Cassandra asked incredulously.

"I know it sounds farfetched but, just let me get this all out first." I tried to placate the Seeker but based on her appearance she wasn't buying any of it. Kost however was attentive and gave me his full attention and was quiet.

Varric appeared like he wasn't making any judgments but was intrigued. Lyna looked curious. And Solas… Solas was quiet, impassive and not even looking directly at me. No he was staring out the sole window in the room.

"If you could…please… save the questions for the end." I said softly and looked down.

"I think that'd be best." Kost agreed. His normally insecure appearance gone as he gave me a reassuring smile.

"Six months ago, I _thought_ Thedas was a fictional place. A story meant to entertain." I was going to come clean about this. I could see Bull crossing his arms. "A few months ago I told Bull that I knew of this place because of a Dreamer on our world. I'm not sold on that theory because as far as I know, my world doesn't have the Fade, doesn't have a veil and most certainly doesn't have spirits, demons, or magic." I gulped as Cassandra opened her mouth again but I beat her. "Yeah I have magic. I'm getting to that. This dreamer or dreamers, I'm not sure how they knew of Thedas and knew of what would happen here, but they did. And they created stories off them, much in the same way Varric writes books." I took a steadying breath having to explain that quickly before Bull jumped at me, but he sat there listening intently and watching me, his eye fixated on me and my movements.

"But they only know of this world through the eyes of people that would be Legend, people who would stand out in your history books and the choices they make…" I frowned. "…and the choices they _don't_ make."

"Legend?" Kost asked as I drank from my mug of water, needing to take a moment to let that set in. "Like who?"

"Like you, Adaar." Bull provided for me.

"Me?" Kost looked to the spy incredulously.

"You're the Herald of Andraste right?" Bull watched his face.

"But… No. I couldn't… you must be mistaken." Kost looked at me for backup but I gave him a sad smile. "I…"

"There was also the Hero of Ferelden, the Champion of Kirkwall, and…" I looked to Cassandra. "The Right Hand of the Divine."

"What?!" Cass gaped at me. "You must be joking."

"See, Cass being a Legend. That I understand, she's fought off a _Dragon_." Kost ran a hand through his hair.

"Dragons?" Bull and Varric piqued up and turned toward Cassandra. There was no way they didn't already know about that though. The Seeker groaned.

"Let Mercy finish her…tale." She begrudgingly turned toward me impatiently, wanting to escape the room.

"The tales follow each of the legends and those are the only four I know of, personally. There are dozens more but I never… well I never read them." Not true, I did read about Cole. I wondered where he was right now. "Each tale has a path and many diverging paths based on the choices you pick when reading. They later effect the narrative or… in this case Thedas, on a grand scale. _Your_ choices." I stared at Kost and I could see the weight pack onto his shoulders _._ He understood that meant he had a lot of say in what would happen in Thedas. His eyes drawn to the mark on his hand.

The implications of those words silenced everyone as they looked to Kost. His eyes shone just a bit and then he took a deep breath and looked to me. "That means you know what's going to happen."

"What _might_ happen." I corrected but he nodded.

"But you _know_. You at least have an idea what is going to happen, what or who put this mark on my hand." I wanted to immediately tell him now, but the sorrow in his eyes, the responsibilities on his shoulders and the weight and exhaustion. Already the toll of this roll he must play was getting to him and he's going to need that, to make the hard decisions. Even if he's fighting the title of Herald of Andraste he is at least living up to it, doing good despite it. If I told him it was a mistake, that he had been there by accident and wasn't delivered by Andraste… no. I shouldn't and won't do that. He'll eventually learn about that all on his own and when he does… he'll already be Inquisitor.

"I could sit here and speculate the choices of what happened but we would be here until Judgement day if I did." The reference was lost on them but the meaning wasn't.

"You said you arrived here…" Cassandra began, her lip curled still unconvinced. "…six months ago. And you had knowledge of the Breach since then?" She was bristling, her fists clenched. "And you did nothing to prevent the deaths of the Conclave? Or the death of the Divine?!" She accused me.

"I-" I stood up as Cassandra pounced, her feet purposeful against the floor and I was pinned against the wall. Her fist punched the wall and I cowered back. Kost stood up to try and stop her. Even Varric was standing. Bull however, remained seated. Frail was stalking around the room, a dagger in his grip.

 _Say something._

"I did try something!" I muttered.

"Exactly what did you do. I saw no efforts by you to cull the thousands of deaths. I _was_ there." Cassandra growled.

"Y-you have to understand! I thought I was crazy. I didn't… even think it was possible this world was real! Much less if I should intervene! I was a pampered silly girl from a world of luxury thrust into these lands and I landed with…a _barbaric_ cult." I said quickly and Cassandra drew back.

"Hey!" I heard Frail mutter but he quieted down when Cassandra's fist clenched again.

"What did you expect me to do? Go running to Haven with news that there was a plot to kill the Divine? _You_ would have killed me at first sight! Or Leliana would have me in chains and being _interrogated_ to get as much information out me. I wanted to help but I wasn't _stupid._ I didn't and still don't have a death wish." I took a steadying breath seeing Cassandra back down, knowing I spoke the truth. Given how quickly she reacted now, I can only imagine if she had her sword on her.

"Considering I have no martial or combat training, not even basic survival skills, I'm more surprised I'm alive months later in a world I'm completely inept and unable to deal with, and never thought would ever be real. For fuck's sake for those first few months, I contemplated that I was living a complete hallucination, out of my mind. Which is still a viable possibility!" I hissed at her, angry more at myself than her. "So I did what I could. And the only thing I did know was who to write a letter to."

The tension in the air was palpable, you could cut into it and still not make a dent.

"You wrote a letter?" The seeker asked. She was still angry, still suspicious of me but she wasn't moving for me.

"Addressed to you, Leliana, and the Divine. Clearly…though, it did nothing." I sighed. She wasn't trying to kill me; that was a plus.

"At least she tried. That's more than I can say for some people." Varric quipped, I looked to him gratefully but he gave me an odd sort of look. Curious but also wary.

"What was in this letter?" Solas for the first time spoke, his eyes unreadable.

"What does it matter?" I groaned. "It didn't work."

"But it can be used to prove your story."

* * *

 **Notes** : I liked the way this one ended because the cliffhangers are back and I am very pleased with myself for that.

There was a reason why I had Beltrude disappear all those many chapters ago.

I wanted to portray Cassandra as brutish and disbelieving of Mercy but at the same time based on her reactions in game she isn't devoid of reason and compassion.

 **Alarynia** : Funny enough the sheer saturation of Cullen and Solas fics is one of the reasons that prompted me to start this, and my other stories. Though you'll note I have started one that stars Cullen, purely self indulgent I assure you. I am working on a few other ideas that may see the light of day, given how well this one is received. Though hopefully a lot quicker in pace than this one has been.

 **5 Coloured Walker** : Ha! I'm glad the embarrassment was transferable. There is going to be a scene, eventually, where Mercy does get stuck in the kitchens that are related to her "modern cuisine," her response is one I hope you'll enjoy.

 **SleepiPanda** : I know right? She's such a nerd. I had a bit of fun with that.

 **Writer's Block** : It's more than understandable, I know those scenes aren't for everyone. I include them for a lot of reasons, as I said but I do appreciate you sticking it out for 50+ chapters now. And don't worry the more plot related chapters are coming and because I know they are coming, I do tend to write an over abundance of lighter chapters in preparation, purely for my own sanity.

I would like to add, When Mercy was with the Blades, she had little choice in the matter. She was in unfamiliar lands and had no survival skills. She may haven known about Thedas but she didn't know the intricacies of the land and for the most part she still doesn't. I couldn't include that many domestic scenes during those earlier chapters because Mercy was simply following orders, doing what she needed and getting no enjoyment out of it. Now that she's with a group of people she _wanted_ to join, she's spreading her wings and being a tad more confident in herself and doing things she wouldn't have done before even if she's under the influence of outside sources i.e.: like the Tevinter Wine, among other things. Like I said, character building. It may seem chaotic, particularly that dance scene but there is a method to my madness, I swear.

 **SrgtHamy** : There is quite a bit I have in store with the Orlesians.

 **GreaterGoodIreland** : Currying favor was/is one of the larger reasons why I had Mercy do the whole cooking fiasco as well as I needed the lightness for my sanity as I know when the heavier chapters are coming.

 **JakJakkuro** : I'm glad you like Mercy and Kost. I assure you, the end pairing will not be Cullen. That was one of the stipulations when I started this fic, no CullenxOC and no SolasxOC. That still leaves us with quite a few end pairing options. I wouldn't discount Mercy's flirting with Bull as "playing," despite what she says.


	61. Family

I straightened my back and gaped at Solas. He was a _genius_. Sure, he already knew I was telling the truth, but he just gave me a way to prove it to the others. The letter would prove at the very least my intent if not that then that I had sent something to prevent the breach, to change something.

"That is assuming it survived the conclave." Lyna shot the idea down.

If it had been received it would be destroyed. There goes that. Shit.

"Do you honestly think Sister Leliana wouldn't remember every missive and correspondence, or have records of it?"

I made eye contact with Solas and he quirked an eyebrow at me with a small smile. The letter was back in play but why was he so intent on proving I was telling the truth?

"Assuming it reached them. She said it herself, she is inept to handle this world." Lyna was now facing Solas. She _really_ wanted to antagonize him, I should probably advise her not to do that.

But she was right, there was no knowing if it actually reached them. How do I know Mira even had the chance to send it? There had been more than enough time for her to send it. Unless...Jany sent word for her to not send it. This was after all around the time of my…"great betrayal" in the Blades.

Solas sighed. "Really? Clearly she was able to navigate this world long enough to gain control of her magic in mere months and fit in with the Blades, disregarding the fact they were barbaric."

"Again… _hey_?" Frail offered, offended. I sent him an apologetic smile.

"Enough." Cassandra raised her hand at the elves to make her point. Solas turned to the seeker, his hands clasped behind him, a scholarly air about him.

"My apologies." He tilted his head.

Lyna on the other hand scoffed and moved to the other side of the room.

Cassandra took a deep breath in. "If it did reach us, Leliana would have shared it with me, and I her. What did it say?" Cassandra turned to me and I froze.

I had written that letter when I was just learning written common. It was not the most eloquent but I had tried to include something that Leliana and Cass would respond to, to realize I knew things. Which meant, I mentioned some rather personal details while also masking it as though I was messaging my sister.

I picked up my vellums and opened the ones that contained the drafts I still had.

"My dearest sister Dorothea, I have the gravest news to deliver to you. Mama _Cecilie_ and Lady _Marjorlaine_ have both past; Brother _Anthony_ has also perished in a scuffle with a wyvern between Cumberland and Val Chevin. Uncle _Galyan_ sends his love." I made eye contact with Cassandra when I mentioned Anthony and Galyan. They were calculated words specifically meant to strike at her heart, the two things she held most dear that were not duty bound. Only a select few people would have known about her brother and even fewer about the mage Regalyan. Leliana would have for sure known who he was but it was a calculated name drop. I felt bad, because Regalyan had been present at the Conclave. Unless she had him escape thanks to the warning. Leliana's would have been something only the Warden and her companions would know of so unless Alistair or Oghren were huge gossips… I doubt the existence Lady Marjorlaine would be known outside of Orlais, much less about who Lady Cecilie was.

"Stop." Cass said mutely, but her eyes spoke volume. "I believe you. We…" She gave a sigh, her hand covered her face briefly. "…we did receive your letter."

"What did the rest of it say?" Kost asked. "That didn't sound very much like a warning."

"The contents of the letter is unimportant, it was what was hidden on the page." Cassandra turned. "A hidden message written on the page. Leliana noticed it and did involve me."

"A hidden message?" Adaar looked perplexed.

"It was some sort of alchemy, when you presented heat the message became visible." Cassandra explained. I showed the draft page to the group and then held it over the fire of the hearth. Everyone watched until a dark brown message appeared. It was mostly doodles and some drawings but there was also a big smiley face next to 'Hello Thedas!'

"Now I'm curious, exactly how did you do that?" Varric was the first to ask, his journal was now present.

"No it was…" How common was it to use lemon juice or milk to hide hidden messages? Was I just about to introduce it to this world? "It's…a specific liquid that you write with. I can show you one day."

"The hidden message was direct if a bit simplistic. 'Conclave in danger. Thousands will die. Divine will die.'" Cassandra read out from her own memory.

"That seems pretty direct." Varric said.

"It was one of many death threats the Divine received." Cassandra explained, her posture stiff. "Due to the efforts placed to make sure the true message was hidden and the information in the letter itself… It was one of the reasons your mercenary band was employed, Herald."

"I remember. You said something about wanting a bit more security. And if they didn't belong there, I was to escort them out." Kost strained. How much could he remember about that day at the Conclave?

"So you didn't try to stop the Conclave?" Lyna asked Cassandra, aghast. "You received a very obvious and forward warning that the conclave would be attacked and you did nothing? All those people…"

"We received many threats. Mercy's warning was one of hundreds. While we did what we could, the Divine wished to proceed. She would not be scared or bullied from the purpose of the Conclave. We had no reason to believe… " Cassandra's fist curled and stepped to me. "Do you know who-"

I interrupted her. Not because I didn't want to answer the question I knew she was asking, although I really didn't want to answer it because it would lead to things being revealed that they shouldn't be revealed just yet, but she had said something peculiar. Something that didn't make sense. "You said my letter was the reason you hired Kost?"

Cassandra was taken aback by my line of questions, even as I looked to Bull.

"That doesn't make sense…"

"Of course it does. Why wouldn't we increase security if we received such a specific threat-"

"No. You would have hired Kost anyway, with or _without_ my warning…" I looked to Lyna. "Unless…" _Shit_. I fucked up. "Kost wasn't meant to be the Herald."

"What?" Came chorused around me.

"You changed something, Mercy." Bull offered. The group looked to him for an explanation and he finally entered the conversation as I got lost in my thoughts. "Ah shit. Alright, back when the Chargers were approached by the Blades of Hessarian, I had a _chat_ with Mercy. She'd told me she was a seer and knew about the future. As I needed a bit more intel, I asked her who the Herald was. She told me who it _could_ be, out of four people."

I stared at Lyna. She was alive. Did I cause that? Was she the only one of the potential Heralds alive? Did Cadash and Trevelyan survive? Lyna had also said her keeper's first was Ellana. That was the default name for female Lavellan. It could be a coincidence. I bit my lip.

"So you mean it didn't have to be me?" Kost asked, perplexed. Lyna finally caught my eye and there was a realization coming to her as well as her face was paling. I noticed Solas looking at Lyna as well and then to Kost, a thoughtful expression blooming. Thoughtful for him anyway.

I pulled open my sketchbook and turned toward the first few pages. I paged through a few pages of writing, journals and lists of things I missed about home, about Earth. Then I came upon what I remembered about each of the possible race choices.

"The stories from my homeworld varied on who would be the Herald of Andraste." This was fibbing, and hopefully Bull would keep quiet I was technically lying to them. But who wants to know that their very lives were nothing more than a game. Stories are one thing, you can claim stories are based on history, legends myths etc. Like Varric does, but games? That's another thing entirely. It would be like saying my life as it were now were somehow controlled by some outsider, choices made for me and out of my control for the enjoyment of the player. Who could deal with that kind of knowledge? I know I wouldn't be able to.

"They weren't clear as to who was the Herald but four names were used repeatedly." I explained. "Adaar, Cadash, Lavellan, and Trevelyan were the names I heard the most often as speculated to be the Herald."

"Lavellan?" Kost, Cass, and Varric asked. Solas had already guessed as much by the look I had given Lyna who was now paler than ever. "They said those four names because they were present at the conclave when they weren't supposed to be. Anyone who wasn't the Herald was rumored to have…" I didn't want to say it but based on the silence, I didn't have to. The dots were connecting. Lyna had been escorted out of the Conclave by the orders of Kost, and Kost apparently had been told to do so by Cassandra which was prompted by my letter.

"Cassandra. Do you know the fates of Cadash and Trevelyan?" I looked up at the Seeker, trying to ignore Lyna's and Kost's looks. If I had somehow inadvertently saved the potentials… it was something.

"There is a dwarf by the name of Cadash currently in Haven's dungeons. He refuses to speak. As for Trevelyan, he is a noble who was present for the Conclave for the sake of his mage daughter. Both have survived and are currently aiding relief efforts in Haven."

This complicated matters. How would their survival change the timeline? As bad as my presence has? Or was it a change with no consequences? They didn't have the mark so it shouldn't be too big. True they survived but the Breach _still_ happened. I only just happened to save a few lives. I didn't have the names of others at the Conclave, but those three…four are confirmed. Was the Breach going to happen with or without my interference? Was there nothing I could do for the future events?

But what if my interference has caused a much larger ripple? My vision earlier. I was drinking red lyrium. What if…by joining the inquisition I would be dooming myself? Maybe I should have simply stayed with the Blades and let it ride out and keep myself completely uninvolved.

It is as I told Cass. I can't fight, I can't defend myself. I would be reliant on others for protection. The only thing I had to offer was information. Information that could spiral out of control and become irrelevant the moment I changed something too drastically, if I hadn't already.

"What is this?" Cassandra yanked me from my panicked thoughts as she turned the pages of my sketchbook.

"When I came to terms with where I was I thought to write down everything I could remember from the tales, stories and legends. Because it's harder to remember the tiny details with time." I sighed, rubbing my temple.

"So every future event is written. Here?" Kost asked as he stood and grabbed the sketchbook.

My stomach dropped as I took in his expression, his fingers paging through. Eyes squinted as he tried to decipher the unfamiliar language.

"Is it written in a cipher?"

His words didn't meant much as I saw Solas's eyes flash toward me and then to the sketchbook. I sensed the unease and impatience of Bull as he shifted to get a closer look. Even Lyna was straining to see.

How easy would it be for them to translate English to Common? It would take weeks to develop a key. I hadn't be as careful in my sketchbook as I had been in my time jump journal. Repeated letters, vowels… it would be child's play to "decode" it.

My inner voice was telling me to grab it, to snatch it away. If it were to get into say… Samson's hands. How easy would it be to find the Inquisition's weaknesses? To know all their future movements? It would only take a good linguist, able to find the patterns.

There was a brown flash and the sound of a dagger. Vellums swiped off the table as I tried to step forward to grab them and protect them.

Cass and Kost shouted but I only turned just in time to spy Frail with his dagger out, pointed at the others. "Brig." Frail seethed, his eyes guarded as he held the sketchbook. I was yanked back and away from Kost and crew, toward Frail, struggling against Brig's arms.

What was happening?!

"Back off." Frail growled toward the group as Iron Bull rose, his Edge never too far from his reach. Even Cassandra was bristling and Kost's hands glowed with magic. Lyna had even rose to stand by Kost, but she was still shaken by the news that she would be dead if I hadn't sent a letter. Varric was the only one I couldn't see but then the sound of Bianca being cocked had me flinching.

"Frail what are you doing?! We came to help!" I rasped, trying to pry Brig's arms off me. He was essentially a tank out of the three of us. There was no moving him, short of me using magic. Which I couldn't as I was still recovering from the vision earlier. I didn't have much mana left in me, and I refuse to drink lyrium to recuperate.

"No. _You_ came to help." Frail stepped back toward the hearth.

"What are you talking about? You and Brig were sent to help with the Avvar tribes!" I looked to Kost and crew, anxious they would start attacking right off.

"You can be incredibly dense sometimes, Mer. Did you really think Alon would have sent us _just_ for that?" Frail gave me a long meaningful look and then he dropped the sketchbook into the fire of the hearth. I stopped struggling as relief washed over me as it it burned. The shouts from the others moving forward to try to grab it but Brig stopped them, pushing me behind him as he stepped in their way. "Do you understand, now?" Frail opened each vellum and dumped the papers and parchments into the fire as well.

I sunk to my knees, the parchments burning too quickly for me to try and grab.

"Listen here." Frail's voice was low, layered with a threat as both of his daggers were out and pointed at the others. "The knowledge Mercy has of the future, is one that she will choose if and when she shares. You may see her as a boon, but to us she is first and foremost a Blade of Hessasian. She has bled with us, cried with us, fought alongside of us. She has suffered with us. Mercy is our sister, _family._ We value her as our equal despite her shortcomings and respect and support her decisions. It is why we are here. And if you do no respect her decisions, we have ways of simply disappearing that _no one can_ tracks us." Frail growled, his grip on his daggers tightening and specifically looking to Bull and then Cassandra.

"As for the book. Had I known Mercy had such a thing, with all her… predictions written down I would have destroyed it long before this point."

"Why?" Kost asked.

"Think of the damage that information could do… in the wrong hands. If it fell into the hands of the one responsible for the Breach…."

"That could still happen. If she were to be taken." Cassandra glowered.

"Then you better make sure she's well protected." Frail countered. "But for now, I think that's more than enough information for you lot. We're retiring early, to let you think on this. And if you don't want the Blades of Hessarian's help… all three of us will simply leave."

Brig followed after Frail after hefting me up like a ragdoll. I didn't have it in me to fight because I was still reeling. For one, the book I had worked so hard on to preserve my memories was gone. And two…

 _Family._ They considered me family as well.

Frail had commandeered one of the bedrooms and we climbed into bed in our customary fashion. Brig holding me close and Frail with his head tucked against my bosom like a child.

"So you two are my brothers then?" I asked tentatively in the dark. Brig traced the letters 'Yes' in English into my back and I smiled.

"Did you think I was lying about that part big sister?" Frail mumbled against my skin, arms wrapping tight around me.

"No I just…" I took a sharp breath to ease the tears. "It's why I simply didn't leave…" They knew what I was talking about. Why I hadn't just left the Blades to die by the Herald's hands, why I orchestrated Emeric's death to save everyone else.

"We know." Frail sighed. I must have been more tired than I thought because I drifted off soon after.

* * *

 **NOTES:** We're in between Acts right now so exciting things to come.

Maker help me this is looking to be longer and longer the more I work out how many chapters for each of the "main quests" from the game. Thankfully I never planned for this fanfic to be a direct transcription of the game through Mercy's eyes. So there will _not_ be direct copies of whole scenes from the games and placed in here. But do expect quite a lot of deviations if you do recognize a specific quest from the game.

 **5 Coloured Walker** : Surprisingly I didn't struggle writing Cassandra's "softer" lines scenes. and appearances. I struggled when I was making her more brutish because while her "trainers" described her as brash and impatient I think she would know when it was counter productive when someone was intimidated and/or terrified of her.

 **SNicole25** : A new love? Better than an old love! But welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it thus far. I always appreciate reviews when I get them. They give me the strength to keep writing.


	62. Predictions

I woke up early the next morning. Not because I wanted to but because I felt a large portion of warmth leave my side. It was still dark out so I rolled over to get up, barely catching a glimpse of Frail wrapping the bandages around his chest again. It was something I've grown accustomed to but this time I managed to catch the crisscrossed scars across his back that matched my own, Brig's, Alon's and whoever else in the Blades. Memories of the whips made me anxious, especially given last night's arguments.

Would Leliana simply kidnap me in the middle of the night and then torture me? I don't think she would. That seems more like something the Qun might do. But they wouldn't torture me for the sake of torturing.

I watched Frail bind his chest, his scars looked fresher more pink than Alon's and Brig's, more like my own scars did actually.

I really hope Alon doesn't continue that tradition, although if it was as Alon had described it, perhaps the solidarity is what made them all like a family. But corporeal punishment was harsh, maybe a psychological punishment would be better. Or positive reinforcement. Did Thedas even have psychological conditioning outside of the Qun?

"Shit… I didn't mean to wake you." Frail muttered, as he took note of my stare. He didn't hide his scars, but I don't think that's what he was worried about. He cast a nervous glance to Brig as I climbed out of bed, leaving the big guy to grunt but also get up. Brig always averted his gaze away from Frail in the morning.

"S'fine, we're all early risers anyway." I whispered.

"Think you can help me? I don't have my usual bandages." Frail cautiously handed me the roll of bandages.

"You should talk to Krem, ask what he uses. These have got to be chaffing you something awful." I rubbed at my eyes then I helped bind Frail's chest and he looked at me confused. Just to help him out I poured some healing magic into his back and sides.

"Krem's… like me?" He was tentative. The first time I had found out was months ago. It's probably what endeared Frail to me at my complete indifference to it all. That and I taught Frail how to communicate with Brig. Sign Language is the one thing that made us friends, despite Frail having been rather testy with me when I first arrived.

"Yeah." This was only moderately true because beneath the mop of uneven hair, Frail had highly scarred ears. I never asked for the story but it looked like the tips of them had been cut, shaved down until they resembled human ears. They _looked_ self-inflicted. The entire thing felt like a sensitive story and when I asked Brig about it once he got a sort of far off look to his eyes and then shook his head. 'Not my story to tell' he'd sign to me.

I wasn't sure if it was okay to reveal Krem like that but I figured Frail could get some support. And I wanted to help him, just like he saved my ass last night. I hadn't even thought about the consequences of that book's existence, much less how it would make me less valuable or if Corypheus's generals got their hands on it. But now… the only one with the knowledge was me and it did guarantee that if they wanted it, the Inquisition would at least have to protect me. That was one positive.

Once dressed, the three of us headed out of the small room with our packs on. "Are we leaving?"

"That depends on them. If they can't respect us, then the Blades will not help the Inquisition." Frail huffed.

"You do know the Herald is our leader now." I frowned.

"As far as Brig and I are concerned, you're our leader."

"What?" I squawked as we walked out into the brisk morning wind. Solas was there on watch for the final hours, but his eyes were closed and he leaned back against a chair. He looked like he could be comfortable just about anywhere.

"You orchestrated Emeric's death. You may not have killed him yourself but if it hadn't been for you, we would all be dead." Brig signed slowly and Frail signed his agreement. I eyed the both of them. They were both crazy, I'd be a terrible leader.

I wanted to refute this claim that I was the leader but Kost came out after us. He looked tired, exhausted and haunted. I felt bad for him so I detached from Frail and Brig, with reassurances I'd be fine. Kost looked to me relieved. We walked a bit a ways from the farmhouse where no prying ears could hear us but Frail and Brig and Solas could keep watch of us. Although I was beginning to suspect Solas was actually asleep at his post.

"I was hoping to speak with you last night but then…" Kost began.

"Yeah. It got a bit hectic. Sorry about Frail… he's a bit-" I started.

"No. Frail was right. It was in our best interest to have the book destroyed. And… despite what Cassandra may say to you, or Bull, I think it is better if we _didn't_ know everything about the future." Kost's eyes were a bit glossy. There were bags under his eyes and the weight on his shoulders looked worse. He had such a burden and he wasn't carrying it well, especially after the bomb I dropped last night that he would have been dead, likely, if I hadn't tried to intervene.

"Kost. If you need to talk or… a shoulder. I'm here you know." I muttered to the Vashoth and he cast another look to the farmhouse and then grabbed my hand, dragging me further away quickly before the others could catch us. "Kost?"

"Sorry I just…" His voice broke. "I don't think I should let the other's se-see." Kost took a sharp intake of breath, the same kind I was familiar with because it meant he was trying to stop himself from crying. His eyes filling with tears. "You're…" He started, his voice cracking further and he screwed his eyes shut. Tears tracked down his cheeks and he angrily wiped at them.

I reached a hand to his shoulder and then he peeked at me. Kost's gold eyes were bloodshot as he tried to hold it back. I can't even imagine what he was going through. Sure Varric joked with him, but I could see how the dwarf did give him a wide berth. Bull was a spy, and told him so openly. Not to mention I was sure Kost wouldn't trust a Ben-Hassrath. Cassandra was intimidating and treated him like the symbol he represented. Lyna might understand but she owed Kost her life, or had been until she learned she only survived because I interfered but Kost had just as much to do with her surviving as I did.

"You're the only one that's treated me like…a person." He managed to get out before he was sniffling. And then he was blubbering and large tears pooled from his eyes and my heart all but broke as he hunched over.

"Oh... oh Kost…" I cooed and he practically latched onto me, his face buried into my shoulder. It was a little uncomfortable, given his horns but I didn't budge. Instead, I rubbed soothing circles on his back, what I could reach of his back anyway. He was still quite built, so I had to exercise a bit of reach and flexibility. "Shh shh…" My maternal instincts kicking in and I let him cry.

"Everywhere I go… there's so much death a-and…people always look up to me." He croaked.

"It's okay…" I said softly and ran my fingers through his hair. Frail made his presence to me but I shooed him away quietly and he stepped away. This is a private moment.

It took a few more minutes of hugging Kost and basically petting him, but he calmed down. "Listen, the way the legends spoke about you, they made you out to be this big hero, this… amazing person amongst mortals. But for all I know they could have only _painted_ you like that to uplift those who read it." I said to Kost. We'd migrated to him sitting on a stump while I curled his mohawk. I wrapped a lock of his hair around my finger and then applied a heating rune and then let go. It was an ingenious way to get lovely bouncy curls that I've begun doing with my own hair, though my hair was curly as it is but now I could control the curls.

"But it won't be me." Kost whined.

"In the legends, it doesn't have to be. But here, in the now. The people you're surrounded with, the people you care about and care about you, they will know who you really are. " I smiled as he gave a small purr when my fingers strayed too close to his horns, so I gave the base around them a light scratch. His head tilted to give me better access, almost like a cat.

"Ahhhh." He sighed appreciatively while I smirked.

"I'm sure whoever writes this legend, and I'm hoping it's Varric by the way, they will make you out to be this inspiring, confident person. And you don't even have to be like that. You can just be you. And if you want to avoid conflict whenever possible, then I say do it. And I'll support you every step of the way. After all, I'm practically an ambassador from my world. I've got to represent my people. I think my countrymen would approve of your efforts to solve the conflict in the least violent way possible." It got more and more ridiculous as I spoke. My fellow Americans would certainly approve of the no kill method, in an idealistic world. I left that part out of course.

I finished curling Kost's mohawk and he turned to me, still exhausted and burdened but now he had a small smile on, until he looked over my shoulder and then he was frowning. I looked back to see Frail and Brig, waiting patiently. "You're not… leaving are you?" Kost looked up at me, his eyes wide.

This Qunari-puppy dog look was going to be the death of me.

"Yes." Frail said.

"No." I countered and pat Kost's shoulder. "We're not leaving, but there _are_ ground rules if you do want to know about the future." He nodded his head but rose and I had to take a step back. Qunari are tall and I forget it every time when around Kost.

Frail shot me a questioning look as we headed back to the farmhouse, the sun was finally visible over the horizon. I'd have to reassure the rogue later. This was something I wanted to do and while I appreciated the backup, if the rogue wanted to go back he was welcome to but I _would_ see this through. I just needed to catch my bearings.

"There is one thing I do want to know. I know I said we shouldn't know everything but I'm really worried." Kost asked tentatively, eying Frail with trepidation.

"What is it?"

"We're heading to Val Royeaux to meet the Grand Clerics that have gathered. I'm supposed to speak to them… will they listen?" Kost's feet shuffled nervously. I probably should say nothing but once again his eyes pulled at me.

I suspected they were heading to Val Royeaux for this what with the timeline being slightly off from what I remember. I chewed my lip.

"I don't think you'll get to speak to all the Grand Clerics. Maybe a few? The Templars will interrupt before you can do much more." I said cautiously.

"The Templars?" Cassandra questioned as she stepped out of the farmhouse. "They will be in Val Royeaux?"

"Technically, yes –" I tried to further explain.

"Then we can talk to them there about helping us with the Breach!" Kost looked pleased and I cringed.

"They won't want to talk… ahh…" I bit my tongue at the look they gave me. "Shit…" I looked up at the brightening sky and sighed heavily. Cassandra will not want to believe what I say next or about the Lord Seeker.

"Right…sorry." Kost took a step back but his anxious look made me feel bad, especially as he looked at Frail who was fiddling with one of his daggers. "I won't ask for more."

Cassandra on the other hand would not be halted. "Why will they not speak with us?"

"It's complicated." I tried to dodge but she took a step toward me and Frail was instantly at my side, glowering at the Nevarran. "Okay… Frail, it's okay. Actually… who are you taking to Val Royeaux?"

"What?" Frail blanched at me and I ignored him.

It wasn't ideal but if I could tag along, I might be able to save someone or several someones. I'm not entirely sure of his name but I do remember what he looks like given the amount of times I killed him in the games. And while I'm loathe to admit it given my particular history with them, not all Templars are bad and deserve to die.

"Why?" Cassandra's eyes narrowed at me.

I briefly thanked my forethought in giving up drinking lyrium because I just remembered Cassandra's Seeker abilities and the thought that she wouldn't be able to set my blood to boil, was comforting. That didn't meant she couldn't beat me up, but I know she wasn't one to do that. Given what happened last night, she'd just use intimidation.

I can handle that, right? _Right._

"I was wondering if I might join you."

"Absolutely not!" Cassandra and Frail spoke at the same time and for once they were in agreement but they shot each other glares.

"Did we come out at a bad time because the Seeker looks pissed." Varric wandered out, followed by Bull, Lyna and the scouts. Lyna looked ten times better but the moment she saw me, there was a guarded shyness to her. Bull on the sent me a piercing look that shot through me. Solas was finally awake but he'd been silent the entire time, watching us. He met my gaze. There is something extremely unnerving about being looked at by a God in a friendly manner, even if he is the Dread Wolf. Both of these looks were not good for my health.

"No. Mercy just wants to join us to Val Royeaux."

"And she won't go, not without at least one of us." Frail growled, pulling me back. He was strong for someone so slim and I near stumbled back. "And you only have five mounts." Frail grinned triumphantly at me.

As it turned out, Lyna was returning to the Pass and joining one of the parties to help clear out damaged areas along Lake Calenhad. The Iron Bull, despite not getting the chance to "interrogate" me, was also returning to the pass, meeting up with the Chargers and heading to Haven. And after a brief and angry signing argument with Brig, it was decided that Frail would accompany me with the Herald and crew and ride with me on Fuzzy. Brig would go with Thornton and Pellane and wait to meet up with us on our way back at the Frisky Bronto.

By the time all of this was settled we had finished breaking our fast and were set off. Frail wasn't exactly thrilled that I would be sitting in front of him, but Fuzzy didn't quite like him and loved me, a feat that made Varric snort as the only other people Fuzzy liked was the Herald and Solas. Once Varric chuckled over the name I gave the undead unicorn, scribbling in his journal, we were off to Val Royeaux.

The way was not clear. There were a few more rifts and bandits but nothing we all couldn't handle, or rather what they couldn't handle. I was tasked with keeping sure the horses didn't run off in the fray.

The road to the Orlesian capital was a few days' worth of riding and along the way there were questions the group peppered me with. Not about the future but about me, and they questioned Frail. Except Cassandra. Cassandra tried to get more information from me about the Templars but I didn't feel like dealing with her wrath until the last possible moment. Case in point as we approached the golden gates of Val Royeaux.

The lowering sun caught its skyline, bathing the paved roads in a warm glow, glittering off the distant White Spire, half destroyed, and the not far off Palace and Grand Cathedral. There were manmade ponds and fountains and even small cafes where food was served and Orlesian nobility, commoners, and merchants dined to spend their leisurely time there. It left me in awe. Not just me, but Frail and Kost. We looked like fish, with our mouths gaping open as we tried to take everything in. The common buildings reached as high as four stories, and some even more.

This was the most urban setting I had seen in months and it was as beautiful and decadent as I remembered St Peter's being when I visited it back on Earth.

Leliana had arranged for us to stay in the summer apartments of Lady Bartiere, the wife of one Lord Hubert Bartiere. The apartment was just past the Miroir de la Mère, a giant reflective pool that separated the Summer Bazaar from the rest of the Orlesian Capital. It wasn't the only man made pool, just a rather large one that allowed for travel by small gondola like boats. There were waterways that reminded me of Venice, despite that being an Italian city and not France but truly... Val Royeaux was beautiful, at least this side of it. I briefly wondered how poorly the alienage had been in the past.

As we walked around the reflective pool, I noticed the statues of Andraste in the Avenue of Reflective Thought. I had wandered a ways off but turned back toward the group as they consulted with a map. The city was huge! Avenues, alleys, and main entrances and exits. You could get lost in here if it weren't for the fact the city had signs along the major paths, and thank the Maker they were in common. I would have had issues if it was in Orlesian.

"Okay… prediction time." I sidled up to Kost. Cassandra perked up and turned to me. She was still angry I hadn't answered any of her questions.

"Now you'll tell us?" There was a twitch in her eyes.

Perhaps I had pushed her?

"Yes. Only because we're here and in public and I don't want you to kill me." I rushed out and that made them both look at me. Frail, Varric and Solas wandered over. "When we approach the Bazaar, one of Leliana's agents will run up to you and tell you the Templars have gathered. Supposedly to stop you… er us. The Inquisition." I spied Varric about to say something and I had played that part of the quest so often I felt like I knew what he was going to say.

"You think the Order's come back to deal with us upstarts." I spoke along with him the exact same words. He straightened and narrowed his eyes at me.

"Now that's just creepy." Varric said. Thankfully Cassandra found it somewhat amusing, if the small lift of her lips was any indication.

"Continue." Not nearly as amusing as the Seeker was still gruff to me.

"Lord Seeker Lucius will be there, but… he's not acting himself." I spoke quickly hearing a commotion coming from the Bazaar. We all looked so I condensed the rest and skipped some details. "A Revered Mother will say something along the lines of wondering no longer about who killed the Divine and point to you, Kost. Sorry. And then enters the Templars and one of them punches the Revered Mother and Lord Seeker Lucius claims Val Royeaux is unworthy of the Order's protection and marches them out."

"You dare speak ill of the Lord Seeker?" Cassandra grit her teeth at me and I took that moment to put Kost between her and me. He held a hand out to Cassandra.

"It's a prediction! If you don't believe me… just wait and see for yourself when it happens." I explained.

"But what you are saying… is that the Templars won't help us then?" Kost sighed, his shoulders falling.

"I wouldn't say that… but if you gather enough nobles, they will be forced to at least meet with you." That was as much as I knew about _Champions of the Just_. That and the whole drinking red lyrium business.

"And what of the mages? Would they not lend their aid?" Solas frowned, a dip between his eyebrows and his eyes harsh.

"Well… as you leave the Bazaar, Grand Enchanter Fiona does approach you with an invitation to Redcliffe Castle." I explained before the Dread Wolf could jump me for making it seem like the Templars were the easier option. "Sorry. I… don't want to influence your choices but at least… now you know."

"Well… at least we're prepared now." Kost sighed and looked down the avenue and began his trek down it, determined. Cassandra gave me appreciative if firm nod, as did Solas. Varric and Frail hung back next to me as we followed after them.

"Now to see if you're full of it." Varric joked lightheartedly but Frail and I gave uneasy looks to each other.

It would be nice to be wrong, but I wasn't.

* * *

 **NOTES** : Well this came out much later than expected. I wanted to skip the actual travel to Val Royeaux because nothing interesting happens. So I instead included two "bonding" scenes at the beginning and then dropped a chunk of exposition to get us past that hurdle of travel because honestly nothing super interesting happens aside from Cassandra getting more and more aggravated with Mercy and that can be skipped right over. No need to go into that.

As a reminder to the readers, I am not going to have this be a direct transcript of the game.

 **5 Coloured Walker** : I had considered having them put up more of a fight, particularly Solas and Bull but given what we know of them or will know of them, it would make more sense for them to prefer the book be destroyed. Varric merely cocked Bianca as a reaction to the presence of the dagger and Cassandra was not armored at the time. I'll see if I make Cassandra's part a bit more clear.

 **SNicole25** : Sorry about the confusion of that scene! I'll see if I go back and make it a bit more clear.

 **GreaterGoodIreland** : Yes all potential Heralds are alive. I have plans for all of them.


	63. Too Many Breeches

When the group of us entered the main market of the Bazaar, I could see the very Templar I knew I could potentially save. He stood next to the Revered Mother who was proselytizing and when she spotted Kost and Cassandra enter the crowd of onlookers, she switched it up and began accusing him.

But I wasn't focused on Kost because I was in a dilemma. I thought if I saw him, I'd know his name. And without my sketchbook, I was at a loss for what this particular Templar's name was. Without a name, how the heck was I even going to approach him?

Let's not even go into the pitfalls of exactly how I would approach him safely. This was my only chance to do so as it was and I didn't even know his name much less be able to sneak up to him and request to speak with him privately. Or even leave a note where he'd find it. But honestly any note I gave him would have to be vague.

I was rapidly running out of time to approach the Templar. He was even looking at Kost with barely concealed reverence and that definitely let me know he was at least trustworthy. It was the same look that followed me around the Blades encampment and anytime anyone met Kost. I chewed my lip.

Frail and I were tucked away into one of the store entrances. Varric was circling around the Bazaar and Solas had… well I don't really know where the elf went. One moment he was right next to Kost and the next he was gone. Maybe because the Templars were coming? Who knows, I had other things to worry about. Varric told Frail and I to stay put, especially as I told him there would be an arrow aimed near Kost with a message from the Friends of Red Jenny and then of course the Circle Mage, whom I spotted enter the Bazaar and look around.

I turned to Frail. Perhaps he can sneak close enough to slip a message? But in what space? The Templar was in the open with no crowd near enough to hide in. The only crowd that would appear would be the Templars.

Speak of the devil.

Gates that led out opened and out came a strange sight. The figure I knew to be Lord Seeker Lucius and what followed after him was a crowd of marching Templars. But that wasn't what was strange.

There was a flicking green glow around the Lord Seeker. It was there one moment and then gone the next. it flickered in bursts and chunks, almost like someone or something was barely contained in him. I stepped to the other side of the store entrance and into an alcove to get a closer look.

 _Get closer._

There was a sense of danger, and an instinct that I shouldn't get closer. But I was curious, I needed to know why he was glowing like he had the fade inside of him. I don't remember that from the games, but I barely remember the mission that involved the Seekers of Truth as it was.

 ** _Get closer._**

One of the Templars punched the Mother and I saw my target gasp in horror and was calmed by the Lord Seeker.

I was running out of time! I needed help.

I turned to Frail again and balked seeing a familiar wide brimmed floppy hat and raggedy brown clothed boy perched precariously on a chair. Frail hadn't noticed him yet, or maybe Cole wasn't letting him see him?

But there was something wrong about Cole as well. He glowed green too. Only as time went on it disappeared, instead of flickering in and out. It covered his entire being like an aura.

"Envy didn't steal it but was given it. A deal made but it scratches under the surface, barely contained. Envy was eager for the Herald until Fear touched you, calling out with longing but memories untouched, unscathed. More, so much more. Enraged, Envy knows you're here but knows not where. You _can't_ let him find you." Cole stepped a bit too close and his aura faded in briefly.

My hand instinctively pressed against his chest to still his movements, slightly terrified of how close he was getting. My magic flared.

My aura intermingled with the glowing green of Cole. It felt like the fade and so much more. We were connected and for a moment I felt anguish, a deep hurting inside me. I wanted to cry, wanted to sob and curl up. The longer our green auras stayed connected the more I teared up. Cole couldn't move, couldn't pull away and I could see it was hurting him as much as it was hurting me. His face was contorted in pain. I needed to pull away.

 _More. More._

No. No more. I wrested back and gasped as I fell against the wall. Frail gave me a worried look but he still couldn't see Cole.

"Cole." I gasped.

"Who is Cole?" Frail asked but I shook my head.

The spirit was still but slowly he looked at my hand and then up at me. Bright blue eyes glossy with tears that Cole blinked away, confused at their presence momentarily. He fixed me with that even stare of his.

"Whispers in the dark that bolster the flames. You were never this tenacious. A worry that wounds but soothes as it sighs soft, slow, sweet and subtle to tip the scale so you danced. Why were those boots made for walking?" Cole said slowly, his body crouching lower. His neck snapped as he looked toward the Lord Seeker who was now looking around the Bazaar intently.

"You have to…hide _._ " Cole appeared right next to me, his bony fingers gripped my shoulders and the air sucked around us. I saw Frail's shocked appearance as I disappeared and then I was everywhere and nowhere. Eventually I was somewhere but where, I had no idea. For a moment it felt like the fade and then I wasn't. I had a clear view of the sky for a brief second before I was staring at wood, my lungs straining as I coughed, gasping for breath and Cole was crouched in front of me.

I looked around us once I caught my breath and recognized that we were on a rooftop, but where in Val Royeaux Cole took me, I had no idea. I didn't even know he could teleport both of us.

"You can't let him see you." Cole muttered frantically.

"Can't let who see me?"

"The Lord Seeker."

"Why?"

"He wants inside you."

 _"_ C-Cole… _what_ are you saying?" I sputtered, horrified at where my mind immediately went.

"Power, influence. He wants to wear you and take your face. If he can't have the Herald he will have you."

 _Okay_ … I knew the Lord Seeker was not himself, but… seriously? Wearing my skin? That is a whole new level of crazy I was not prepared for. And Envy… an Envy demon? I rubbed my temples trying to make sense of it all.

"Okay… slow it down. You're not making any sense. I need you to start over, slowly. I'm here. No one can see me. But I need you to explain." I moved to get closer to the railing but Cole whined and moved in my way.

"Stay hidden. He _can't_ see you." Cole urged and pushed me back. For a lithe spirit he was strong, but as he stood to his full height, I felt a little bit dwarfed.

"Alright, alright." I backed up a bit more, giving us space, slightly afraid our… auras would connect again. I don't even want to know what that was about. One thing at a time. "Okay… Cole. I need to get back down there. I need to talk to-"

Cole frowned. "Barris. His name is Barris. You want to save him, talk to him but you can't, the Templars will find you, hurt you. In the cold, alone, dark and starved. The blood drips and you will cry out but then the Lord Seeker will have you. No… you can't." Cole shook his head. "I won't let you." He said firmly.

Where was this coming from?!

"Look, Cole. I already know I can't talk to him with all of them there. I need to find a way to get him to meet me _privately_. Alone. Away from the other Templars." I snapped at the spirit, losing patience. He didn't even flinch but peeked up at me from under his hat.

"Alone?"

"Yes. Alone. If you can sneak a message into his pockets I can talk to him alone so I can help him, save him." I muttered, anxious now about the others missing me. Cole looked down considering.

"Hopefully helping while hidden. Will he hinder your haven? He never hurt, never hated them but he won't leave because he is afraid. But the song is strong and he knows he would be lost. He is…good. I will help you help him." There is a certain poetic feel for how Cole reads people. "But you have to promise to stay hidden." Cole frowns.

"Thank you. And I will. I promise I'll stay hidden. But the message I want to give him I'll write it down-" I started pulling the only vellum of paper I had left out of my jacket when I heard the whoosh and smoke filled the area that Cole once stood in.

" _Goddamnit, Cole_." I sighed exasperated with the spirit. First he whisked me away here and now he just leaves me up here, alone, with just my pack. So I sat down with my back against a chimney top, patiently.

Which lasted all of fifty seconds because I could hear marching echoing up from the streets below. I scrambled toward the railing, but didn't peek over. I _had_ promised Cole I would stay hidden. So I waited until the marching died down and sounded further away and then peeked down. I could see nobles gossiping and looking down one of the main roads. I couldn't tell much else because of their masks.

Stupid Grand Game. I sighed and looked around the rooftop. I'm going to eventually need to find a way down from here. Carefully, I approached the ledge toward another rooftop.

"Well… there isn't any carts full of hay." I sighed peeking into the alleys and streets. Not that I could ever compare with Altair or Ezio. Even if there was a cart of hay, the laws of physics in that kind of jump would leave me with something broken. So I eyeballed the gap between this building and the next. Could I jump that? It looked about a meter. Better not risk it.

I took to exploring the entire of the rooftop instead of opting for the most dangerous way off, I found a series of other rooftops that I could, if I jump down to, be able to get to a balcony that overlooked the bazaar. The problem of course being there were guards and nobles that would notice me dropping down and that is unneeded attention especially for someone hiding. But I'd have to jump it first.

"I can jump that." I nodded and stood on the edge and thought better of it. "Better get a run up." I went to the other side of the rooftop, hiked up my sleeves and ran at the edge at full speed and-

I teetered on the edge like a chicken shit and let myself fall back on my butt. "And that, ladies and gentlemen is how you break your neck."

Brilliant. Fucking Brilliant.

"Fuck me." I cursed.

"Bit sudden innit? Not even flowers first?" A familiar voice laughed.

I whipped around to see Sera sitting on one of the raised roofs of a nearby building. Her choppy blonde hair and hazel eyes, mismatched clothes and even the bow strapped to her back were almost as they appeared in the game. Her skin however was decidedly darker but as her shirt shifted I could see the tan lines suggesting she spent a fair bit of time out in the sun. Maybe on the roofs.

How long had she been there? Probably not long considering she might have seen me and Cole just appear and as I do recall she had an aversion to magic and… never liked Cole. Or will never like Cole.

"How long have you been watching me?" I asked and she jumped down.

"Long enough to see you piss yourself tryina jump this." She easily jumped from rooftop to rooftop to get to me and at the last jump she slipped just as she reached the rooftop, falling down on her arse. "Shit balls…" She snorted and then cackled at my baffled expression. I couldn't help it but I giggled with her. This was Sera without a doubt.

I reached one hand out while snickering and helped her up. "You good?"

"Oy, thanks. Hurt a bit but s'fine. Name's Sera… so you tryna get down?" She asked and pointed to the alley below.

"Yeah… I'm Mercy, by the way." I extended my hand but she had already turned.

"Fastest way would be this way." She snickered and pointed at the near four story fall to the alley.

"You know, I would take the leap… if there was a hay cart there to break my fall. Sadly there isn't."

"Wha-?" Her smile was wide and I kept my features schooled. She began to snicker but froze at my expression and she look to be considering it. "Wait… would that even work?"

"Don't know… never had the chance to try. I wouldn't try it at this height." My lips twitched and she narrowed her eyes at me until I snickered at how seriously she took that. "I'd only ever do it if I had to hide too, just tuck right into the hay and hope no one notices the extra lump-pffft." I couldn't keep it up and let out my own cackle, this time at her.

"Oh har har. Real funny. Good one." Sera was grinning anyway.

"So is there a safer way down from here?" I questioned after we both stopped giggling.

"Yeh, you jump from this top to the next and you go down." She pointed to the route I had already been psyching myself up to go. Rooftop jumping did not look safe.

"But what about the guards?" I asked and pointed to the ones we'd likely draw attention from.

"Oh them, they won't care." Sera waved her hand. "Especially if I do this." She pulled one of the pouches on her belt open and yanked a small bottle out and tied it to one of her arrows. She cocked, took aim. "Ready?"

"For what?"

The arrow went off and a large explosion of fire started up in one of the gardens on the balcony. I yelped.

"GO GO!" Sera said, taking off quickly and jumping to the next rooftop. She turned and waved for me to follow. "Come on!" And she took off down the path. I gaped at her speed.

"Shit…" I heard the guards assembling and saw them going to put the fire out. One of them turned and saw me. "Fuck fuck… goddamnit…" The guard got the attention of the others and pointed at me.

"Okay… I can do this. I _can_ do this. I can do this! I can do this!" I took off to the next rooftop and jumped, landing terribly and rolling. A sharp pain in my ankle sending me cursing again.

"Hurry!" I heard Sera laugh. She was already two rooftops away. I scrambled despite the pain in my ankle and went after her, gaining momentum and using my pack as a cushion. _Goodbye dwarven soaps._ I could just imagine the glass shattering. I leaped again and then jumped down, catching up with Sera. We were now on one of the balconies but the stairway was not an option.

"Took you long enough." Sera smirked as I heaved. She wasn't even winded. She peeked around the corner.

"What do we do about the-" I took a raspy breath only to groan as she took off around the corner without waiting. "Goddamnit, I'm getting too old for this shit." Murtaugh would be proud of my wheezy sigh and me going after the young elf.

I ran after her. There was another stairway, this one free and clear. She took the steps two at a time, sometimes three. I barely managed to run down them. I just barely caught Sera running down one of the alleys we had jumped over a rooftop. Oh good. I ducked in and stopped realizing I lost sight of her.

"Sera?" I called but she wasn't nearby. There was another alley across the main road so I ran across and ducked in, hoping she was somewhere this way. I kept going, turning down the first alley to my left and I kept going, avoiding the main road when I could. I probably should have stopped, given I didn't know this city at all. But the sound of the guards pursuing made me continue.

Finally I came down an alley with no outlet. I'd have to double back. I went to go back out but a hand gripped my arm and yanked me into one of the buildings via a side door. "Hey what-mff"

"Quiet you." Sera hissed. She gestured for me to follow her. We were inside the kitchens of one of the cafes. I could hear a faint singing in French-Orlesian trickling in. The workers here paid us no mind. One of them stepped up and held out two mugs of ale, of which Sera gladly drank from.

I drank greedily myself because I was very thirsty and tired. I thanked the kitchen maid who smiled as I followed Sera out into the café and we plopped down at a random table. Based on the more run down appearance, the mismatched and almost rickety tables and chairs and given the patrons were all similarly dressed to Sera and me, this wasn't a café or tavern for the nobles.

"What is this place?" I asked the Red Jenny and she slammed her mug down, empty.

"The Raspy Cherry!" She grinned widely. I cringed at the name while she and a few others around chuckled.

"Thanks for helping me out." The tavern opened out into a rundown alleyway. I couldn't figure out where we were because it looked decidedly less decadent than anything I had seen. "I uh… was in a bit of pickle up there."

"Why climb up if you couldn't go down?" Then something occurred to her and she leaned forward. "Wait… you weren't actually planning on offing yourself by jumping?" Her eyes got a bit wide.

"What? No! Maker… no I uh… climbed up as part of a dare." That was a bold face lie if I ever saw one, but she didn't catch it. Instead she teetered with laughter.

"And once up you was like a wee pussy cat. Too scared to come back down, Kitty." She snickered and only broke into a louder laugh at my expression. "What? Better than Pussycat, right? Cause…" She was laughing again, snorting a few times.

I rested my head in my arms and tapped my head against the table while she laughed.

After she laughed at my expense I remembered I probably should pay for the drinks, so I did and based on how incredibly cheap it was it led to more drinks, and more… and soon I forgot I should probably have returned to Frail and the Herald long before then.

I only just remembered when I noticed the time and the fact I stumbled into a room that had a lining of chamber pots. I was squat over one, when Sera took the next one and grinned at me.

"Right… so. I've got a thing." Sera sighed.

"A thing?" I asked and giggled as she stuck her tongue out and wiggled it to the sound of our… _ahem_ streams against the copper chamberpots.

"Yeh. You're alright, Kitty. Want to help a _friend_ out?" She smirked as I finished up and I pulled my refilled waterskin up and doused my hand. I didn't have soap but better than nothing.

"Well… you scratched my back so I guess I'll scratch yours." I said.

"Good, a friend tipped me the supply shed for some right nasty bastards. Lets go cause a little trouble for them, yeah?" She led me out of the Raspy Cherry and down alleyways, this time walking instead of running.

"Wait… we won't be jailed if we do this?" I asked tentatively.

"Not if we don't get caught. Besides, I've got to meet someone. I just need someone to hold the bag."

"Hold the bag?"

"You'll see." Her grin was a bit worrisome but we darted from alleyway to alleyway until we came across a secluded courtyard. "That building. Nasty mage works out of there. A friend asked me to cause some trouble for them and well I know some people who should look into him. Two birds, right?"

"How do we get in?" I looked around the corner and ducked back to look at Sera.

"I've got the key to the supply shed, this way." She pulled me after her toward the building and opening the gate that led to a small garden and there was a very small shed. But rather than her opening it with a key, she knelt down and pulled out a lock-picking set.

"Key huh?" I whispered and frowned.

"It's a kind of key." Sera gave me the largest shit eating grin as she picked the lock.

"The best kind of key. It opens everything!" I smiled and we both snickered.

The door opened and we slipped inside. There was armor, swords, and an assortment of other supplies. There was another door as well.

"Quick. Grab the breeches." Sera grabbed a sack and we both stuffed breeches and trousers and even small clothes into it.

 _Wait. Breeches?_

"Why not the weapons too?"

"Because they'll have no breeches. Think about it." Sera snorted.

"They'll be naked from the waist down."

"And flailing their swords around." Sera explained and then she wiggled her brows.

It clicked.

We made quick work of stuffing the breeches away and then we were hauling ass out of there, dragging a large sack of trousers and breeches.

"Round here." Sera gestured at a little alcove shrouded in shadows. There was the sound of fighting not far off. "Oy… stay down. I'll be right back." Sera pulled an arrow out and she was going down the stairs hidden behind some boxes just as another door opened. I ducked, hiding away. I couldn't hear what was happening but I could feel magic being cast and then-

"Just say what!" Sera's loud voice boomed around the courtyard.

* * *

 **NOTES** : This was a joy to write. I finished it last night and am way too impatient so I decided to just go ahead and post it. I'll edit it as I re-read it, but ENJOY.

Just so you know, Sera was VERY fun to write.

 **5 Coloured Walker** : Thank you!

 **SleepiPanda** : I'm glad Kost is being taken well. His characterization is very different to how the Herald appears in game so I try to stay true to who he is.

 **GreaterGoodIreland** : Oh if you think telling Varric what he was going to say is fun, wait until mercy pulls that shit with Solas, Bull, or Leliana!

 **SNicole25** : Frail and Brig are two characters that I want to further "explore" in the expanse of this fic primarily because of how close to Mercy they are and of course who they are and their connections to other characters, which will slowly be revealed. Also Frail because its important to have trans representation, but I didn't reveal that like it was a plot twist, he was always trans from the first moment I wrote him. And Brig will get a bigger role because asexual representation is also important.

As for the hint of MercyxKost, that may have been a hint, or a tease. No promises though! But there will be plenty of fluff between those two. If it leads anywhere however, well we'll just have to see.


	64. Lets Roll Up Some Balls

"Why didn't you take their weapons?!"

That was Kost. I was in a wonderful spot to hear everything they said and remain under cover. I probably should go out and help but this was fun to listen to, to be an observer rather than a participant.

"Because no breeches!" Sera's laugh was infectious and there was a bark of laughter.

"Brilliant." Varric chuckled.

"Oh maker they're- they're…naked!" Cassandra was horrified.

"You took their smalls too!?" Kost asked, matching the horror in Cassandra's voice.

"That was Kitty's idea!" Sera snickered as a hail of arrows and bolts pinned one of the guards to the other side of the courtyard in my view. For a moment I was a bit worried, especially as he released a pained groan but then he stopped moving.

And yes, he had no breeches or smalls on. His whole bottom half was exposed.

"Bunch of Nutters!" Sera called gleefully.

"Can you not kill every single one of them?! I have to question them!" Kost whined with a grunt.

"Old habits." Varric called back but there was another bolt let loose and a pained scream followed.

"Varric!" Kost and Cassandra admonished.

Maybe I should help. I could definitely prevent deaths or at least heal the ones that could be saved. And I always wondered who that mage had been or why the Inquisition should have looked into him.

"Right in the plums!" A particular nasty scream followed. Even I cringed thinking Sera managed to land an arrow to his… well it wouldn't be very pleasant.

"Piss off you blighters!" That was Frail! What followed was a sound I was all too familiar with and associated with a particular spinning move Frail performed when surrounded. With short swords and daggers as thin as possible singing in the air and metal ringing as it hit against bone, I could just picture Frail dancing around in a circle.

I called it "Spin-to-Win." I had never been a very good League player back home.

I scooted out of the shadows to watch this spectacular spinning move. Frail was very agile and very fast. With spins, dips and all manner of daggers flying, I wanted to clap once he stopped but there was a grunt behind me.

Bad news. The guy pinned to the wall _wasn't_ dead. _Oh great!_

More bad news, he'd yanked the arrows and bolts pinning him and while he bled, it wasn't profusely. In my experience, if he got that stuff treated and bandaged up real quick, he'd live. But it didn't look like he cared about that. Which brings us the worse news. He spotted me and he spotted the now slumped over and spilling bag of breeches and smalls. The guard looked at the bag and then at me. You could see the gears grinding as he connected the dots. I think he even swore in Orlesian.

Terribad news, because I was running out of adjectives, he came at me. Now I'm not the best at channeling offensive magic without a staff but I do know a few defensive spells I can cast effectively with just my hands. For instance, my shield and barrier. Of which I cast both to create a protective film over my skin and then a bubble shield around me.

Normally the way shields work is they protect you from projectiles, magic or otherwise. For most mages, their shield has a certain amount of damage they can take before they fail. For me, they only stay up as long as I keep a flow of mana running through them or until I'm overwhelmed with knockbacks from the projectiles. So you can imagine it's great for protecting myself against ranged attacks.

You know what it's not great defending myself against? Half naked guards charging at me and knocking me back only, surprise surprise, I didn't _just_ fall back. Because like an idiot, I was surrounded by a magical **_spherical_** bubble shield in equilateral distances, which essentially placed me in a giant magic ball.

What happens when you charge at a ball? Oh yes, it rolls. And down stairs… it rolls and _bounces._

Now if you've never seen someone with a full bubble shield projected around them roll and bounce down a flight of stairs, flailing around and yelping, then you are _seriously_ missing out. It's a great thing to watch, laughable. No, hilarious! It's the closest you can get to watch a hamster ball be tossed around.

However, if you are the person inside the magical ball being rolled down said stairs, I can tell you, it's not fun. Especially if you spent the better part of the evening ingesting about a quarter keg's worth of ale with no food and one bathroom break. I was about to say hello to all that ale all over again in the worse way. It was bubbling up and I could feel the burn in the back of my throat. But funny how it didn't come spewing out as I screeched, trying to stop the rolling. Thankfully physics took effect as an object obstructed my path. It was a wall.

"Ugh." I grunted as soon as I stopped rolling and bouncing. My back slamming against the wall and head cracked against the stone. My shield shattered as I lost concentration when stars exploded in my vision. I tried to steady myself and get up to help but that was not happening.

"Kitty!?"

"Mercy?!" My name was yelped out, in confusion, surprise, and exclaimed in relief from five different sources. Who said it which way, I couldn't tell you. Especially as I retched, it splashed onto my new boots and even on my leather coat. I did try to stand up against my better judgement, if only to stop myself from retching on myself further.

"Ugh! Gross."

"Pfft… You sure know how to make an entrance, Boots."

"I'm good!" I groaned, lying to myself and them. My shoulder all but slammed against the wall as I propped myself up and waited for the world to stop spinning and my ears to stop ringing.

"Eat it!" Sera called out in frustration and then she laughed. "Ate it!"

The courtyard became eerily silent as the last one of the guards died, then it was the hurried footsteps of movement until, "Damn it to the void… they're all dead." Kost cursed.

"Oy Kitty, had fun there?"

"No." I croaked at Sera as she crossed her arms. Oh great, the Red Jenny was suspicious of me. Considering she just found out I'm a mage, I didn't blame her but I was a bit preoccupied with regaining my bearings. Plus, I only just met her and I already felt so much older than I did previously. And sick. Don't forget sick.

"Kitty? You're just collecting all sorts of nicknames." Varric didn't get the chance to say much else because Frail pushed past him, rudely I might add, and slammed me back against the wall with a hug.

"Hey!" Sera went to pull him off me but Frail growled.

"Missed you too, Frail." I chuckled as I slipped a health potion off him and drank it. I could already feel it churning in my stomach unpleasantly. I'd need to eat to prevent another fantastic spray from my mouth.

"Frail?" Sera looked at him, her head tilted. Frail looked back at her. There was a look between them, like they knew each other, recognized each other. This look prompted many questions but no time for that, not yet anyway.

"Much as I like standing around in my own sickness, could you two…" I waved at Sera and Kost. "…get the introductions and Sera joining the Inquisition over with. I think I'll be sick again if I don't eat something, and fast."

"Yeah-wait." Her eyes narrowed and I could see her fingers itched toward her bow.

"Long story, I promise to tell you."

"Right, _sure_..." Sera snarked but turned back to Kost, a little more snide than I remember in game. Kost sent me a worried look but I waved him off, in favor of reaching to the back of my head.

"So… you disappeared to meet up with the Red Jenny?" Varric asked, side stepping where my "sick" had landed on the stones. He gave me an amused grin, as Cassandra stood vigilant next to Kost but occasionally sent me her own look. I couldn't concentrate long enough to distinguish why the Seeker would be looking at me so often, so I focused instead on Varric.

"What? No. It was coincidence I met up with her."

"Coincidence?" Frail snorted as he was pulling my pack off and leather jacket, leaving me mostly unarmored. Which was fine by me, the smell was getting to me.

"Yes. I – " It was probably best not to mention Cole. Not yet anyway. "– ran into her."

"Ran into her? Coincidences seems like the _least_ likely thing to happen to you." Varric did not look convinced or impressed by this explanation. It took me far too long to understand he was saying something between the lines.

"You think I purposefully went looking for her?" I gaped at Varric and his brows rose.

"I didn't say that." He raised his hands to placate me. "But you accurately predicted, almost down to the snide way the Lord Seeker looked at Cassandra might I add, the actions of Templars and the not one, but three messages meant for Killer."

I may have gone into more detail with Varric over the whole Templars returned to the fold only for surprise, they actually were there to size up the Inquisition.

But what Varric is saying is right. It was pretty convenient for Cole to transport me to where Sera would be. Coincidence doesn't seem likely that he dropped me off there to hide. Unless he knew she'd be there, which this is Coleand he probably did. And who best to stay hidden with then someone who represents the little people, the servants, the commoners, and the people who owned the network of alleys and passageways less traveled? That seemed the safest option too. At least it was safer than just leaving me to my own devices because clearly when I'm on my own, I fuck up. Heck even when I'm not, something goes wrong. I had many questions for the spirit of Compassion when he came back.

If he comes back.

It occurred to me what a stupid idea it was to send a spirit into a den of Templars, where some of the higher ranked ones could already be consuming red lyrium and could probably sense him.

"Allow me." Solas gestured to my leather jacket and Frail willingly held it up to the elf. A simple wave of his hand, some sparkling dark blue magic and it looked like water brushed away all of my sickness and even dirt to the floor with the rest of it, leaving my clothes completely clean. It didn't get rid of the smell though, but beggars can't be choosers.

"Woah… thanks. You've got to teach me that spell…" I muttered uneasily to Solas. He rose an eyebrow but there was a pert smirk splayed across his lips.

"Certainly."

 _What._ My eyes bugged out but the hobo mage was already gone from my side and approaching Kost, where Sera was looking decidedly annoyed, only this time at Kost who was shaking his head. Then Sera was turning and disappearing into an alley.

"Where is she going?!" I nearly dropped my jacket. Please don't tell me Kost refused to recruit her.

Kost and Cassandra looked at me at my outburst.

"Haven." Cassandra provided. "She will meet us there but she said she had a few things she had to do, as we still have matters in the city." Kost sent Cassandra a withering look.

"Oh." I always wondered what would have happened if Kost didn't recruit Bull, Sera, Vivienne, Blackwall, or even Cole or Dorian. I knew it was possible but…it never seemed like a smart thing to do. I pulled on my jacket. "What matters are left to do?"

"You're the one who said we should recruit Madame de Fer, so now I must attend a salon in two days." Kost was disgruntled and pushed past us both. "Let's just go back to the apartment, I'm tired." He grumbled as he led the way, apparently uninterested in looting the corpses in the courtyard. I did a once over but even the bag of breeches was gone. I suppose Sera took that.

I followed the others back to the apartment. Something, clearly happened because Kost was visibly upset. Maybe it's because all of those guards are dead? It was regrettable, and I was with the Herald in that we should have prevented as many deaths as we could, if only to question them. Not to mention it was disorienting realizing how comfortable I've gotten watching people die. Seeing corpses is one thing. I spent a fair bit of a time in morgues studying organs so I can objectively view them as not people but watching their final moments was something else.

What could I do? I barely was able to defend myself. How could I have disabled them enough to stop them from attacking me? The only move I knew that I could do required I get up close.

There was no use thinking about it. I'd have to practice my magic and combat to get better, to be less of a burden. My gaze lingered on Solas. Perhaps I could ask him for help with my magic, especially considering he definitely knew more than he was letting on. Plus it was probably better than waiting for Vivienne to be part of the group and asking her for more formal lessons that any circle mage would have learned. Although I could probably ask Dorian but who knows when we'd see him.

I hadn't even met Viv or Dorian and I was already planning on asking them for magic lessons! I should just ask Solas or Kost. Not tonight though.

It still didn't solve the fact everyone was quiet, I expected Solas to be but not Varric. Something clearly happened while I was away.

We arrived at the apartments. It was one whole building not that far off from where Sera and I had been drinking, as I recognized one of the alleyways we had darted into. Good to know I hadn't been far from the group. The building itself was like much of Val Royeaux. Polished stones with marble stairs up and a relatively plain looking blue door with iron embellishments. It reminded me of historical homes in Britain. It looked more like a manor than a summer "apartment." If this was an apartment, I wonder what an actual manor looked like.

The foyer was actually just a long hallway with several doors and a staircase. It was tightknit but we managed. Kost was tall but apparently the ceilings were high enough, although he had needed to duck a bit to enter through the door. Iron Bull would have needed to duck a lot to enter.

There was a small flurry as some servants came out and grabbed their cloaks. And then before one of them got to me, Frail stepped up. "I'll show her to her room, you've done enough and it's late." He waved off the servant with a firm look.

"We each get our own rooms?" I whispered to Frail, who nodded.

"Mercy. When you're settled in, please meet me in the sitting room." Kost said as everyone was shuffling up the stairs to their own respective rooms. I spied Kost looking stiff as he walked down the hall of the main floor and went through the third door on the left.

Frail and I followed the others up the stairs. Solas disappeared into one room, Varric into one that was closest to the stairs. Cassandra followed Frail and I to the end of the hall. Frail approached two doors at the very end opposite each other.

"One moment." The Nevarran accent halted us both. I waved Frail ahead as I turned to Cass. "It…" The Seeker began and then paused waiting for Frail to disappear behind the door. "It occurs to me I owe you an apology. I was quick to judge you, and nearly accused you of not wishing to help." She grimaced but pressed on. "When that is furthest from the truth. If I'm to believe what you say is true, about where you come from. Then you have no obligation, no reason to help any of us. Yet you willingly joined the Inquisition despite having no ties to this…world. Why?"

I've wondered this myself. If you take out the equation of the pretty scary visions of the future, it doesn't make sense that I'm throwing myself into the path of danger. Yet here I was.

"I'd like to think that if a Thedosian ended up where I'm from…and they had knowledge of certain events, that they would help us as best they could. But I know my people and I know my countrymen, and they would make that …difficult." I explained. "Difficult in the way that if I had met Sister Leliana before I met the Herald…the difference between my world and Thedas would not be too far."

Cassandra made to speak in defense of Leliana but froze. She knew what I meant. "Would your people have truly reacted in such a manner?"

"Most definitely. Especially if it was a mage or a qunari, or even an elf. People tend to do desperate and terrible things when presented with things and people that are wildly different to our usual and things we cannot readily explain." I gave a half smile. "At least Thedas is more equipped to handle it now, considering there's a whole in the sky."

"I suppose you are right in that respect." Cassandra said with her own smile, her shoulders tensed and regarded me. "The Templars…."

"What about them?" Cassandra looked at me, tentatively and opened her mouth as if to ask something. Her eyes shone with guilt. Something was troubling her.

"Are the Templars responsible for the Breach?" She asked. "The Lord Seeker behaved most unusually I cannot help but think perhaps the mages are right to accuse them."

"Cassandra. The Templars didn't cause the breach nor did the Rebel Mages." I added in just to halt her next question.

"Then who did?"

"I-I wish I could tell you. But even I don't know a name."

"I suppose it would have been too much to hope for that you'd have all the answers. But it is comforting to know the Order was not responsible." Cassandra sighed. "The Mages as well. If only we could prove it. But I won't keep you any longer. Goodnight."

I slipped into the room Frail had disappeared into and paused. The room was about the size of the entire cabin I shared with Alon, only it was just a bedroom. It was decorated with curtains, rugs, throw pillows but nothing quite as decadent as I recalled from the Winter Palace. Which made sense that not everyone could afford such luxuries as wide and large as the Empress. No instead the room didn't look too different than what a hotel room would look like back on Earth, minus a television. There was a full sized bed with furniture that was only a few steps above plain wood haphazardly thrown together to make a cot, a couch at the foot of the bed, a chest, rugs, and a fireplace with a small mirror near it.

Frail stepped back into the room from the opened balcony and eyed me. "Everything good?"

"Yeah. This is all…" I looked around.

"Too much?" he offered.

"A bit too much. And we have our own rooms too." I frowned.

"I'm actually excited about that. I've never had my own room before." He smirked. "It's going to pamper me." He grinned. "I've already set your clothes to the side to be laundered. They have servants that do that you know. Orlesians are so…"

"Lazy." I offered and Frail snorted. I began removing my boots, underarmor, vest and shirt. They smelled something awful.

"So… where did you disappear to?" Frail sat next to me on the couch. "And I do mean…disappear. Because one moment you were there and the next… just gone."

"A… friend with some very special abilities needed me to hide. Something about me being in danger. So… he pulled me out of there." I didn't want to reveal what Cole was, without him here to show how he doesn't mean any harm. People, and I mean Cassandra, might get the wrong idea.

"Danger? What kind?" Frail's voice tightened.

I looked around the room, noting we were alone. I eyed the walls though, wondering how thin they were. So I leaned closer to Frail. "The red lyrium Templars kind."

Frail gasped and I gestured for him to keep his voice down. "Shouldn't we tell the Herald then? They want to contact the Templars, they think they can be reasoned with." He hissed.

"Of that I have no doubt. And… some of them aren't tainted by it but… it's not my place to influence the Herald's decision on this. Remember, we're here… or I'm here, to cull the amount of deaths not to pull Kost off the path before him." I explained as I stood in my small clothes, shivering a tad. I pulled a bucket of water, making it steam with a well-placed spell and began washing myself down with a cloth and some soap from my pack.

"Mercy. This doesn't seem right, we should tell them. We know better what sort of threat they could pose." Frail hissed.

"We're not the only ones. Varric knows about what red lyrium can do." I countered.

"Yes but he only knows about when you're near it not if you ingest it." He whispered. "We have to tell them. Warn them. At least let the Inquisition's forces know so if they encounter them, they are prepared."

"Now you're worried about the Inquisition's forces?" I looked at Frail and he grimaced. "Frail… you and Sera looked like you knew each other."

"Don't – " I sent him a disapproving look and he sighed. "Yes… we know each other. We both came from Denerim."

"The alienage?" I offered softly and he growled but nodded. I peeked at his ears. I had more questions but brushed it aside for later. "If… there are reports that Kost gets of Templars being powered by red lyrium, then I will tell them everything I know. The weak points, how much they have to ingest to keep up their abilities everything. But until then… we shouldn't mention it. And you shouldn't either."

"Fine." He huffed and crawled into my bed.

"What are you doing? I thought you said you're excited about having your own room."

"I am. But you know as well as I, that neither of us are going to be able to sleep properly alone." Frail settled under the blankets with a smirk. "I'll be waiting, now go have your meeting with the Herald."

I smiled, dressed in my night clothes which consisted of one of Alon's old shirts and some loose fitting trousers. I ventured downstairs barefooted, taking extra care to be a quiet and used balls of fade to light my path, otherwise I was sure to trip down the stairs. Then I went through the door Kost had disappeared through.

* * *

 **jedielfsorcerer** That'd be pretty interesting. I'm not familiar with the Percy Jackson series, outside of the movies, so I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it but I wouldn't mind reading that sort of thing.

 **GreaterGoodIreland** : I'm glad I nailed Sera (HA!). She was my 3rd romance option (First being Blackwall) and I loved her characterization in game and her party banter so I absolutely worked harder to make sure i got her down pat because she's so fun.

 **5 Coloured Walker** : I did have a moment while writing last chapter where I was like "Really? Would this really happen?" But part of why Sera readily accepted Mercy is because Mercy was talking to herself and making a fool of herself. And I think Sera would readily help someone who needed help, especially given Mercy doesn't look like a noble or a mage in that scene. Plus Mercy was like "fuck it lets just go with it."

 **Sarah** : Welcome to the party! And thank you for the review! Mercy being mischievous was the highlight of that chapter. It was pretty fun to write!

 **SNicole25** : Believe it or not I was considering having Sera crush on Mercy but it would have been too many people liking her and I want to avoid the trope of "Insert OC, everyone adores her." Mercy actually really likes Sera.

 **METALHELLSPWN** : I'm so glad! It's tough writing something that flows into each other like this. I try to make the chapters connect, even if they started off fairly short but I've hit my stride and am fairly more comfortable in my writing.

 **Guest** : I really don't want to spoil it but over on AO3 I've already revealed that it will be BullxMercy but it's a slow burn and that doesn't mean I won't have some sorts of fluff with other characters. So there MAY be some MercyxKost fluff in the oncoming future, particularly next chapter.


	65. Midnight Chat

The low light bathed the room in shadows that partially hid what the sitting room was like but I could make out other cushioned chairs, the rugs under my feet and even the floor length curtains that were drawn to cover the windows. I made my way in, taking in the shelves full of books with bindings and titles I couldn't quite make out. Even if I couldn't read them I'll have to take a gander at them during the day.

Kost was sat on a peach cushion lined wooden couch, staring hard at the flames of the fireplace when I entered. Either he didn't hear me enter or was simply not acknowledging me.

"Kost?" I called to the Vashoth softly but no response came. Only when I stepped in front of him, blocking his view to the fire did he snap out of whatever daze he was in. His leather gloved left hand clutched to his side tightly and clenched in a fist.

"Mercy…" His voice croaked in pain and he cleared it, averting his gaze.

I held my hand out to him. "Give me your hand." I said with no intent to back down. I had always suspected the anchor hurt the Inquisitor given how the introduction had them screaming in pain. Perhaps I should have gotten Solas to help with this. Either way Kost slid his trembling hand into my own and I pulled the leather glove off, sitting on the coffee table and cradled his much larger calloused and hot hand in my lap.

"Kost…" I touched his forehead quickly to compare. He wasn't running a fever at least; it was just his hand. "Have you told Solas?" I frowned as his hand glowed green.

"No."

"Kost. You need to tell him. He knows more about this kind of magic." I rubbed his hand's pressure points, feeling the magic and power below the surface and radiating heat. I considered pushing my own magic to soothe the muscles but refrained. Because pouring magic I barely could control into something as powerful as the anchor, which we also barely understood, didn't sound like the best course of action.

"I always get the feeling Solas is barely tolerating me." Kost grunted with a tightly clenched grin.

"I think everyone feels that way about him at one point or another."

Kost scoff. "I bet you don't."

"What makes you say that?" I furrowed my brows at him, rubbing at the joint of his thumb. The twitching stopped, so there was that. "Solas barely speaks to me, much less looks at me." Outside of the fade anyway. In the fade, all bets were off when it came to Solas.

Kost snorted but at my questioning look he explained. "He looks at you with intrigue. Like you're a puzzle, especially since you came out about where you're from."

"I imagine anyone would be interested to know someone was from another world. At the very least if someone back home claimed that we'd think they were crazy." I blinked. "Why don't you guys think I'm crazy?"

"Between everything that's happened so far. A Qunari being spit out of the fade, a hole in the sky. What's a person from another world compared to those two? I'm willing to give everything a chance. Especially if you want to help." Kost looked a bit more relaxed the more I massaged his hand. "And I know you really do want to help." He gave me a reassuring smile.

I never considered how baffling the whole thing might be to them, or how much it wasn't anyway, when compared to everything else and the things to come as well. I was just another weird thing, and oddity. Something previously unknown, was I pushing their beliefs or was I making them more accepting of the strange and unusual? I hoped for the later because then they could accept spirits, Grey Wardens who aren't actually Wardens, a Tevinter Altus, a Qunari Spy…the breach will unite them; putting aside their difference for the good. The Breach itself must be the weirdest thing for most Thedosians to ever encounter and then even more weird things happen surrounding it. A Qunari, which most Qunari have only been around for three hundred or so years in Southern Thedas, is now claimed to be the Herald of Andraste. Either Southern Thedoasians are desperate for something in this hard times or they are gullible as fuck.

I'm going to go with desperate considering how quickly I gained their trust. After all I was now here as well and the fate of this world now mattered to me if I wanted to continue living here. Why wouldn't I get involved?

Shaking my head to clear it of thoughts, I pushed harder on his hand and he gave a low moan before the mark flared brightly. Adaar snatched his hand back as the mark bathed us in green light briefly. "Wait… doesn't it only react like that when near a rift?"

Kost was perplexed but nodded. "You don't think…there's a rift near here?"

"Maybe… or maybe just a lot of fade energy." I froze as I thought of that. Fade energy, the mark acting up near it. _I should really get Solas._

"This feels different than when near a rift."

"How so?"

"I'm not sure how to describe it but..." He looked down at his hand as the green light flickered in and out, almost wanting out.

It reminded me of Cole and the Lord Seeker.

"When I'm near a rift I can also feel it as a mage, the magic, the fade. But this time.. there is a lack of magic in the air aside from me and the mark felt like it wanted out, like it was being pulled out."

"Pulled out?"

"I must sound completely insane…"

"You say to the person from a different world." I deadpanned. We both smirked. "But it is an unknown magic, one only Solas has any experience with."

"You think he'd know more than you about it?"

"Why would I know about the mark?"

"You know about the future."

"Just because I know the future doesn't mean I know every facet of possible research and their results into previously unknown magic. Also I only know until the Breach is sealed, then after that I'm basically useless."

"You're not useless."

"My use for the inquisition will be spent at that point, I can already tell. I don't need to know the future to know I will be expendable and easily replaced."

"Friends aren't expendable or replaceable, no matter what." Kost was fierce and protective in that moment, his eyes alight with a loyalty I didn't expect to be aimed at me.

"That's sweet but I meant in a tactical sense. My foresight is all I can offer."

"You have your magic, your healing, and from what I heard you're a really great cook."

I rolled my eyes but smiled.

"And once this is done… there is still the matter of the mages and Templars. You might offer an outsider's perspective as someone who is completely foreign to our ways."

I leaned back, impressed. "You sound like Josephine. Or… well how I…" I flushed but Kost laughed. "But back to the point. We should get Solas."

"Can we… can we wait until tomorrow? It isn't hurting anymore thanks to whatever you did. What did you do?" Qunari puppy eyes are so hard to say no to. So I didn't bother fighting and nodded.

"I massaged it. Back home, I was a masseuse. I massaged people for a living, getting into the muscles that were overworked and over stressed, some even strained and I soothed the pain away. Albeit sometimes it meant applying more pain, but the end result is always worth it." I gave Kost's hand another quick rub for emphasis. He thanked me, offering his other hand cheekily and I repeated the massage and he stretched out his fingers and wrists in the end. "What did you actually want to talk about anyway?"

Kost turned into the shy nervous Vashoth I recognized, the overprotectiveness he had for his friends replaced by a sheepish and adorable expression and he fumbled. "The legends from your world, what do they say about the Herald exactly?"

 _This again._ I frowned but he asked about "the Herald" and not himself. I shifted to the couch and tucked my feet under me, facing him. He slid closer to me, his eyes wide. The firelight made them glow and lit up his high cheekbones and accentuated his features. Kost was truly very beautiful and he almost stole my breath away by how close he had moved. I wasn't uncomfortable but I suppose we broke that barrier back at the farmhouse.

I told him about the way the Herald was "written" as being exactly what was needed right when the Inquisition needed him. How the Herald would decide the fate of the mages and Templars, and have a hand in picking the next Divine, the fates of many organizations and even have alliances with peoples that were unexpected; the Qunari being one and the Tevinters being another. Kost listened intently and let me finish before he asked questions. There was only so much I was comfortable telling.

"Tevinter? Why on Andraste's ass would I make an alliance with them? Especially with all the slavers around?"

"Well you end up meeting a Tevinter Altus actually. I'm really eager for the day you recruit him." I smiled.

"Why?" Kost looked to me suspiciously. "Aren't you worried about them? You said they were after you."

"Er. Well yes some Tevinters are after me but that doesn't speak for the whole country, only certain… her extremists who…" I trailed off. "Besides! This particular Vint is possibly the best of the best of Tevinter in terms of morality. He wants to do right by his country. Well… there are a few others who may be better than him… you'll meet them too." I grinned.

"When will I meet them?"

"In Redcliffe actually."

"So we get help from the mages?"

"What? I don't know… I just mean when you first visit Redcliffe-" I snapped my mouth shut a second too late realizing where that might go.

"First visit?"

"Uh..."

"Mercy?"

I wasn't thinking straight. Between the interaction with Cole then Sera, and then getting drunk and then being sick all over myself… I was exhausted. And now I was two seconds away from spilling one of the bigger details of the future to Kost. It's not like I had a reason to not tell him. He was going to find out anyway. It might be a little forewarning but he might choose not to go for the mages and go for the Templars. And what would that mean in the end? Would it mean I swayed which way it was meant to? Would it be like what happened with the Breach, it was going to happen anyway and I only affected it in a minor way? Could I save people like I did with Lyna?

There were too many possibilities and honestly I was in this deep already, there was no backing out to what I changed but I had to be very careful with future changes. But I didn't see any harm in telling Kost what he was going to find out anyway. Plus I could be vague about the details. I don't have to just tell Kost about what is happening with only the Rebel Mages, I can also be honest about what I knew about the Templars.

"Mercy?"

I snapped to look at Kost who was now closer. Concern evident in his eyes, and his brow furrowed. I tapped my finger over his brow. "Don't worry about me, I just get lost in thought sometimes." I gulped down the lump in my throat. I opened my mouth again but shut it. It felt somewhat wrong to tell Kost all of this without the others present. I searched for something, anything else to talk about. My eyes zeroed in on the two red strings attached to Kost's left horn. When I first saw him I had noticed them but I couldn't quite figure out why. "Why do you have two red strings on your horns?"

Kost squinted at me. "You are avoiding the topic."

"I know."

"And not very subtly either."

"I know."

He narrowed his eyes but thankfully didn't push it. Instead he sighed while his fingers touched his left horn where the two strings were tied.

"These are tokens from my Tama and Mamae."

Tama I knew meant Tamassaran but Mamae? "Mamae?"

"Sorry... um… My mothers. Well Tama was my mother but Mamae raised us when she passed." Kost sighed.

Passed? "Oh… I-I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine. It happened a long time ago."

"How did they meet?"

"Tama was pregnant with and running away from the Qun when she came across a Dalish clan in Rivain. She was taken in by them, avoiding the Tal-Vashoth in the area and then they traveled south toward the Free Marches, for safety."

I settled closer to Kost as he looked toward the fire again.

"When we were born, that's when Tama thought it good to separate, to find someplace to settle down. But Clan Revalla were going to keep moving, but one of the mages decided to stay behind. She had grown close with Tama and they had too many mages anyway. That was Mamae…"

"We?"

"Oh… I have a sister. A twin. Her name is Katari. I forget you haven't had access to all the information Leliana has on me, nor are you a spy either…" Kost laughed lightly. "It's… actually comforting that I get to tell you myself."

"I'll bet."

"Do the legends say anything about my sister?"

"I didn't even know you had a sister."

"She's… she's a lot stronger than me."

"How so?"

"Sometimes… sometimes I think she should have been the one to get the mark, and not me. She'd know what to do." His left hand rose and he clenched it tightly. "But then I don't want her experiencing this pain sometimes. So… instead she's working for the Inquisition with the rest of the Valo-Kas." He turned to me. "What about you? What's your family like?"

I froze because no one has really asked me much about my life back home, back on Earth. It feels like such a long time ago and at the same time it's only been five months. I've gone much longer with no contact to my family before but this… being here... it was beginning to feel permanent. Even the spirit of Longing couldn't make me feel better about that.

"Sorry… you must."

"No it's fine. I… well no one has really asked about my life back home really."

"No one? But, you're from another world. That must mean… I don't know. Do you even know how to go back?" Kost paused and then cringed. "No… you probably don't, otherwise you would have left already? Would you?"

"Yeah… I honestly don't know how I even got here or how to go back."

"So…you're completely stranded. With no way back to your family…or friends or your life back there. I- I'm so sorry Mercy."

"Eh…" My eyes burned. "It's alright. I have Brig and Frail, they are my brothers now."

"You don't have to say that just because of the Blades…"

"No… I mean it. They feel like family to me and I suppose, in the event I can't find a way back home-"

Kost pulled me into a hug then. His larger frame swallowing me up tightly. I wanted to cry but I'd done more than enough of that at that point. I was strong, I had already come to that realization. Especially because Solas didn't know about me, thought he knew something. I just wasn't sure what yet.

"If you…don't mind. Can you tell me about your family back where you're from?" Kost asked delicately now.

"I don't mind." I smiled and settled in next to Kost and he kept one arm over my shoulders. It was nice and when I looked up at him I was once again reminded of how handsome he was. Thankfully the low lighting hid my blush.

"My parents met when they were well into their thirties. My mother came from gold and my father…not so much. They had me fairly quickly after their marriage but my mother was getting sick." I frowned.

"Sick?"

"No not sick more like… unstable." I paused. Should I share this? He shared with me his past. "I was young then and I didn't understand but I began to when my little sister was born."

"What's her name?"

"Her name was Celia. And she was beautiful. Bright eyed, blonde haired like me. But she was born unable to hear and we all had to learn sign language so she could communicate. That's the language Brig, Frail and I use with our hands."

"Sounds like what the Silent Sisters use to communicate to their handlers."

"Silent Sisters?"

"it's a dwarven group… we have a Silent Sister at Haven. She joined the Inquisition. Pala is her name."

"Do you know all the scouts' names?"

"I try to…" Kost rubbed the back of his neck.

"That's good though." I smiled. "Means you care about the people under you. That's good leadership."

"I'm not the leader of the Inquisition. I'm just an agent." Kost corrected me but I smiled widely behind my hand knowingly. "Leliana, Josephine, and Cullen lead the Inquisition."

"If you say so." I said and Kost frowned. "But I didn't know sign language was already a thing on Thedas. Good to know."

Kost squeezed me closer to him. "You're not telling me something about the future again."

"If I told you… it wouldn't be a surprise when it happened. I want to see the look on your face when it happens."

"Mean."

I tickled Kost's side teasingly and he shrunk away.

"Tell me more about your world. What did you do? You said you massaged people for a living. Did you apprentice for that?"

So I told him about Earth for a bit. About how while yes I was a masseuse, it wasn't my end goal. It was just a job to do until I could pay my way through school, become an artist. And technically I did end up as an artist, making logos for companies or designing websites. I couldn't really explain all of that without explaining technology but I glazed over it. He wanted to see what I could draw but I didn't exactly have anything on hand anymore, now that my notebook was destroyed.

"Maybe Josephine can arrange for some canvas and paints to be delivered one day." Kost mused.

"It'd be nice but I won't expect it."

"Perhaps you and Kaariss can arrange something."

"Kaariss?"

"He's in the Valo-Kas. He's an artist but more so a poet. He and Varric get along fairly well."

"Wait…the Valo-Kas have been to Haven?" I turned to Kost, pulling out from under his arm.

Kost stared at me. "Yes. I thought… well they were there during the Conclave when we were hired and they were there helping in the aftermath but when I was… under suspicion of killing the Divine they weren't exactly treated well until the people of Haven began calling me the Herald."

"So…the entirety of the Valo-Kas were hired for security?"

"Yes."

"And they were all present when the breach happened."

"Yes… What are you getting at?"

"Nothing just… that's odd."

"What is?"

"In the legends, only you were hired and the rest of the Valo-Kas were elsewhere." I shrugged. "I guess the legends got that wrong." I leaned back against the couch.

Kost hummed but also lapsed into silence. We both were quiet for some time. "I suppose we should retire."

"Yeah probably. I'm exhausted." I stood up, letting my back crack and pop.

"I didn't mean to keep you up."

"Its nice just talking every now and then, so it was no trouble, Kossy." I gave a large grin.

Kost groaned. "Kossy?"

"What can I say? I have a penchant for nicknaming people I like." I gave a toothy grin and Kost huffed.

"I suppose it's better than Killer." Kost shook his head. "Before you go… would you mind accompanying me tomorrow to the market?"

"The market? Whatever for?"

Kost gave me a sly grin.

* * *

 **NOTES:** Terribly sorry for the late, LATE update. I got really busy with...life. I'm in a bit of a stable position right now again but what I'm going to aim for is twice monthly updates now that we're getting to some of the good portions of the story. If not it will probably be a monthly update. I can't tell you when during the month because it's basically when only when I get to certain points in the story do I post a chapter. Also... I have a surprise upcoming that I am currently working on. I was hoping to release it on Valentine's day but things happen. Oh well!

I struggled a bit with this chapter due to the dialogue. I wanted it to flow but didn't want Kost and Mercy to go off on too much of a tangent sometimes. Hopefully it's still sorta authentic. Let me know what you guys think!

 **Skymoon18** : I don't want to give off spoilers, but I actually have two ways the story can go based on whether Kost decides to go for the mages or the Templars. So we might not see the Templar fight with the Envy demon. And thank you for the birthday wishes.

 **5 Coloured Walker** : I ended up holding back on doing a primarily dialogue chapter, although there is far more dialogue in this chapter than others.

The Ball at the Ghislaine Estate is something I've been looking forward to writing for some time. One of the fun parts of my outline that also happens to be both fun with heavy doses of plot intermixed.

 **GreaterGoodIreland** : As much fun as the idea of Frail as a Red Jenny would be, no he's not. But he does know Sera. I needed them to recognize each other because Frail's own storyline is going to be slowly revealed. Brig's as well soon so look forward to that.

 **SNicole25** : Ah sorry, no Sera and Frail will not a thing. But like I said they know each other and that is important. I have other plans for Sera.


	66. The Iron Lady

"I want you to know, Kost." I spoke softly as I stiffly climbed down the stairs of the Orlesian apartment. "And don't take this the wrong way but…" The sun was setting and bathing the interior of the apartments in an orange glow. I stepped right in front of Kost, angling my half-masked face up at him. "I hate you. And I hate everything about you, _right this second_." My newly purchased heels clacked against the wood. The tightly tied bodice left me barely any room to breathe, the long sleeves of the gown covered every inch of my skin and the high neck covered the well collected cleavage that could be showing but because of _modesty_ it was hidden away. "It feels like I'm wearing ten pounds of petticoat under this." I grumbled as Kost chuckled at my expense.

"You brought this on yourself." Kost clucked his tongue at me. Half his face also masked but really, who were we fooling? He was going to be the only Qunari at the Salon.

"Exactly how, so that I can never, never _ever_ do it again." I took a steadying breathe as Kost opened the door for me. I glowered at Varric who was loitering in the hall, scribbling away.

"Well… I suppose you didn't. More of… it was either Cassandra or you and Cass already said no."

"With good reason." I huffed but stepped onto the paved road and eyed the carriage. "You sure do have a lot of coin."

"Would you preferred to have _walked_ the entire way to the estate?" Kost smirked as he helped me up. My hands balled into fists as I held the skirts up and climbed in.

"Good point."

"Tell me what the food is like." Frail said as soon as Kost squeezed in. These carriages barely fit him and he looked uncomfortable.

"Everything will probably taste of despair." I sniffed, impersonating Yvette. Frail snorted and closed the carriage door.

I had spent the better part of the morning picking out a decent gown to wear to Vivienne's Salon. And then accompanying Kost so he could get a proper jacket for himself, one that actually fit. After which we both had a light lunch in some café I didn't care to remember and then I spent all afternoon curling my hair and pinning it up because Maker dammit if I was being forced to wear an actual ball gown I was going to do up my hair. And my hair was fabulous, if I do say so myself.

Though putting on the gown itself was troublesome, tiring and all together made me regret my life choices the moment the bodice tightened and the high collar and ruffles were place. I refused to wear the matching hat. Orlesian fashion was all together impractical, in my opinion.

The half mask was to denote that I was neither a noble nor a merchant, but that I respected the customs of Orlais, or more importantly would partake in the Game if engaged. Or so Lady Bartiere informed me when she learned I had some experience with it. And by experience I mean successfully bartering goods from a practiced Orlesian merchant. I wondered how Hervé was doing.

The carriage took off with Kost and I counting the minutes. We both did not want to go to this Salon, but Madame de Fer was an ally the Inquisition could use.

"What should I expect?" Kost asked, squeezed in tight and slouching a bit to fit, I shifted to give him more leg room and he smiled gratefully, sinking further down to stretch.

"Well… some nobles will greet you. They'll be especially excited to meet the Herald of Andraste and then another noble will come down insult you and attempt to fight you."

"What? Right there? In the middle of the salon?"

"That's what I said. Either way Lady Vivienne shows up and uses a winter's grasp to freeze him and you get the choice of whether to kill him or not."

"Wh-WHAT?!" Kost sputtered. "Why would I kill someone for _insulting_ me? That's a little extreme…"

"Apparently that's how the Game works…sometimes."

"Ridiculous. I can't wait until we're out of Orlais." Kost rubbed the bridge of his nose and then crossed his arms.

"You and me both."

The estate was atop a hill. Nobles were milling about gossiping. I could hear the murmurs stop when Kost exited the carriage, followed by me, but we paid them no mind as we entered. Kost gave them our names and we were announced. I'd never been announced before.

"Master Adaar of the Inquisition, accompanied by Mistress Mercy."

Mistress, now that was a new one.

We entered the main hall. There was a large fountain, more nobles walking around with glasses and small plates and tiny forks. Their masks glinting in the low candlelight. And there was a faint sound of music. Stringed instruments and flutes gentling carrying through the estate. The doors toward the gardens were wide open, curtains swaying in the breeze. It was all very atmospheric.

The decor was lavish and decadent, as to be expected. I had never walked on marble back on Earth, if you didn't count museums anyway but here I counted the slabs my heels clicked softly against. My eyes tracking around to take in the rails, the posts, the columns. The gold trimmed windows, the lavish tables laden with food.

It was all a bit… much.

As Kost led us further in, he tried to exude an air of confidence but halted when one of the nobles meandered in front of us.

"A pleasure, ser." The masked noble was alone and his dark eyes peered up at Kost curiously before turning toward me and squinting but other than that I couldn't tell his expression or thoughts. "My lady." He bowed his head forward in respect. "I so rarely have a chance to meet anyone new as it is always the same crowd at these parties.

"A pleasure Monsieur…" Kost tried but he didn't know the man's name. He turned toward me with a small degree of panic.

I schooled my face into what I thought would be an impassive smile. "You'll have to excuse us. We're unfamiliar with Orlesian court. And you are?" I tried to sound apologetic.

"I am Lord Artois. You must be the guests of Madame de Fer. Or are you here for Duke Bastien?"

"Madame de Fer?" Kost questioned.

"It is a _fond_ nickname the court gives First Enchanter Vivienne." I explained to Kost. "According to my sources, she finds the title amusing."

"That she does." Lord Artois looked to me, his eyes squinting at me again.

"I wonder why." Kost muttered.

"Is that the Herald of Andraste?" A woman questioned as she paused next to Lord Artois. She looked to the Lord and then toward Kost, lingering on him.

"Indeed it is. Master Adaar, this is my wife. Lady Genevieve."

"I have heard the most curious tales about you." She cooed, over excitedly not bothering to remain her thin veneer of impassivity. I instantly liked her. "I cannot imagine that half of them are true."

Kost looked to me but I simply smiled at him. "What have you heard about me?"

"Some say, that when the veil opened Andraste herself delivered you from the fade." Genevieve's eyes were bright. I was beginning to suspect she was a young wife, and new to the game because even I could read the enthusiasm in her movements, although she was restraining herself. Lord Artois however gave a small roll of his eyes and touched her shoulder.

"Come now, surely you do not believe-"

"Everything you've heard about the Herald, is completely true." I answered for Kost. Kost's hand gripped mine and he furrowed his brows.

"Truly?" Genevieve's smile was radiant as she looked between Kost and I. "Better and better, the Inquisition should attend more of these parties. The stories alone would liven them tremendously."

"Oh there are so many magnificent tales I could tell you. I myself have traveled with the Herald for some time now." I got caught up in her mood and she turned to me.

"Oh? Are you the Herald's lover?"

That gave me and Kost pause. I looked around us to see other nobles suddenly very interested in us. I even peaked up at the staircase that led up. One noble was openly staring, no… glaring at Kost.

"You'll have to excuse my wife." Lord Artois said smoothly. "She can… forget herself."

"It is no trouble." Kost managed to say, despite being flustered.

"I am merely a friend to the Herald." I explained, watching out of the corner of my eye the glaring noble as he made his way.

"Still to work so closely with the Herald..." Genevieve raised one hand as though to cover her cheek, her eyes glinting mischievously. "Especially a Qunari. You must be curious."

"I'm sure any would be curious." Lord Artoise agreed. His eyes blinked and then he looked down almost confused.

"Uhhh." Kost was at a lost and turned to me. I shrugged my shoulders. This was _odd_ , even for Orlais. "Well there isn't much time to be curious. The Inquisition is very busy bringing order back to the lands and I myself am busy closing rifts." Kost recovered.

"Ha… the Inquisition. What a load of pig shit!" Enter the Marquis Alphonse. "Washed up sisters and crazed seekers. No one can take them seriously."

"I beg your pardon?" Kost nearly growled at the noble. I placed my palm on his arm and he looked to me as I shook my head to keep him from retaliating.

"Everyone knows it's just an excuse for a bunch of political outcasts to grab power."

There was a faint gasp from Genevieve and Lord Artois had stepped back anticipating an altercation no doubt, given how Kost was glaring daggers as the Marquis.

"I'm sure what the Marquis means is that it may seem like that, from an outsider's perspective when really the Inquisition is searching for the Divine's killer." I tried to mediate, keeping a pleasant smile on and stepping forward. "Surely you don't mean to insult the Herald quite so _publicly_." My eyes flicked up toward the top of the stairs where I could spot a white silk robes and silverite horns and mask turning toward the commotion.

The Marquis didn't get the hint.

"And who are you? Some qunari whore?"

My blood ran cold and this time Kost had to hold me back only my hand lit up with lightning. The music had capered off and other nobles were openly staring.

"And you…if you were a man of honor, you'd step outside and answer the charges." The Marquis scoffed. "We know what your _Inquisition_ truly is." The Marquis made a grab for the sword at his side but froze as a casing of ice and flurries coming off of him.

"My dear Marquis." My eyes were drawn to Vivienne as she descended from down the stairs. Her voice carried around the room specifically to let everyone watch. "How unkind of you to use such language in _my_ house and to _my_ guests."

Vivienne's voice was smooth, like velvet but you could easily pick up where the pricks of deadly poisoned needles can poke through as she nearly glided up to us. She stepped around toward the Marquis, facing him. "You know such rudeness is…intolerable." She said this as though chiding a child.

"M-Ma-Madame Vi-vivienne. I humbly beg your pardon."

"You should but unfortunately it will not help you, my dear." Vivienne lost all pleasantries just then. Her hand raised and with a twist the ice grew larger and cracked. The Marquis's body slumped down to the floor, dead. There wasn't so much as a gasp or scream from anyone but nobles turned away and resumed their conversations and even the faint music kicked back up. It was all perfectly normal.

I gaped before remembering who was standing before us. She didn't even ask what we thought should happen!

Vivienne pulled a handkerchief out and wiped her hand casually. "Someone do be a dear and clean this mess up. We can't have him cluttering up the dance floor." She turned to us as two black masked servants stepped up and took the body away with a bow.

"You didn't have to kill him." Kost said tightly, his eyes tracking the servants.

"On the contrary I did. Unless you suggest I allow your, companion to have done the honors. An apostate murdering in _my_ house." She gave a small laugh as though it was clear as day. Vivienne turned to me. "I do apologize for his crass words. Had I know the Herald of Andraste would have been accompanied by such a lovely companion, I would have sent…" And here her eyes tracked up and down me. "…word to my preferred seamstress."

Inexplicably I was self-conscious of my dress when compared with the beautiful garment Vivienne wore. I tried to straighten it , as though that would fix the ludicrous outfit I wore but there was only so much I could do.

"I'm delighted you could attend this little gathering. I've so wanted to meet you." Vivienne smiled up at Kost and gestured for him to follow her as she once again glided back up the stairs. I hung back, not wanting to be part of that conversation. Kost followed her, after I assured him I would be fine on my own.

In truth, I wasn't fine. So I retreated, picking up a small plate of whatever they were serving and escaping to the empty gardens. I observed my reflection in the fountain water and groaned, ripping off the ruffled high neck piece, not even caring it tore and chucked the piece into a bush nearby. My cleavage and the tops of my shoulders now exposed to the air. I could at least breathe much easier now.

"Stupid Orlesian fashion." I huffed as I chucked the small bits of ham off my plate into my mouth and immediately spitting it out. "Ugh… oh fuck it really _does_ taste of despair."

A soft slightly inebriated laugh had me turning to see a figure on a bench in one of the shaded alcoves. "My what an interesting sight. And here I thought I was lost to my drunken stupor when I awoke to find a woman undressing right before my eyes."

A man stumbled gracefully out of the shadows. How does one stumble gracefully? Well they stumble and catch themselves only to end with a deep bow. Their Volto styled mask covered their entire face but when he bowed I could see his dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. The mask itself was lined in frills and even the mouth was covered. Only holes so he could see and breathe were present. His voice slightly muffled. He wore a mostly white or off white outfit, a bow in the front and long tail coat flapped behind him as he moved forward.

"Had I known my presence would leave you speechless, I may have made my presence known a tad later in the hopes you might have undid your bodice for me as well." He said with a lilt in his tone and a huff of laughter. He was _cocky._

I flushed because well I had _some_ modesty. "Had I known there was anyone here, I wouldn't have..."

"Torn off your dress in a mad desire to be free of the shackles of Orlesian fashion?" he provided for me.

Just who was this guy?

"Yes… well yes that." I pulled my guard up, reaching into the fade just in case.

"Ah… and you're a mage. A mage not bound by the politics of the Game. I'd say you're a woman after my own heart." He blinked and then raised a single delicately gloved finger. "One moment." He turned around to grab something from the darkened alcove. I hadn't noticed it before but there was a finely crafted and large lute strapped to his back.

I squinted. How did he know I was a mage? I cast out my senses and felt the fade, the barest hint of magic and then I felt the pull of mana, the reaching into the fade that was similar to my own but also very different. So he too was a mage. I sent a look back toward the main ballroom inside and could just make out the silhouette of Kost and Vivienne still conversing. How long would that take?

"Ah-ha!" The man exclaimed and turned back around with a flourish as he presented a wine bottle and a glass. He poured one glass and held it out to me.

"Uh…"

"Oh do take it, it is to mark this glorious occasion for you, a celebration! You do want to remember this moment." He pushed the glass into my hands and I grabbed it, bewildered and suspicious at least until he drank directly from the bottle. "You see, I managed to abscond with this fine bottle of Aggregio Pavali from the personal collection of the First Enchanter." He leaned forward lowering his voice. "She won't be very happy when she learns of this. So best to enjoy it."

I yelped and set the glass down. "You stole from Lady Vivienne?!"

"Oh, buh. Not like it will matter. Now drink. It's marvelous wine, from Tevinter." He insisted.

I gaped at him. "I don't even know what I'm celebrating, much less who _you_ are."

"Oh… you wound me my lady. Surely you know who I am." He lifted his mask to once again drink.

"No. I haven't the slightest idea as to who you are, so please enlighten me." I deadpanned.

The man blinked at me and then set the bottle on the edge of a fountain and with a twist of his hand he was holding his lute and strummed out a tune. "Does this ring a bell?" He sang and began playing. "Everyone has heard of the great Zither!"

Zither? Who the fuck was Zi- _oh fuck_.

* * *

 **NOTES:** Well, this one came to an end fairly fast. I've been itching to get to the chapters with Zither for a loooong time and it's finally here! Vivienne was delightfully fun to write even for that short brief interaction. I was channeling Miranda Priestly from the Devil Wears Prada for that.

The salon is going to take up a few chapters because I have "plans." So be ready for more of Zither, Vivienne, and a few surprise guests later on.

 **METALHELLSPWN** : I'm happy to oblige and provide an update during this what will hopefully be a dryspell for the fandom.

 **5 Coloured Walker:** It wasn't really late I just felt like I've been putting the chapter off for far too long. But thanks for reading anyway! I swear you are my most consistent reviewer and I need to do something special for you (and a few others).


	67. Disastrous First Meetings

Zither is a bard mage. He casts magic by playing his lute or using his lute as a staff? I don't really remember much of his abilities from the announcement made for April Fools Day. I mean when I had heard about the supposed addition to the multiplayer characters I had scoffed. Obviously it was just a prank? Just some promotional prank to make people more interested in the multiplayer aspect of Inquisition. Well, clearly it wasn't, especially because here I stood with him strumming along and- wait. is that "I am the one?"

I recognized the chords he was playing, softly at first but as I paid him more attention he got into it more. Especially as he reached into the fade, his fingers lighting up in an iridescent glow and with a bit of flair he surrounded us in tiny sparkles of light that glowed in a myriad of colors. The silverite lined strings of his lute came alive with a hum and the sound hole seemed to have a green fade film over it that also lit up, making the lute sound almost like an electric guitar. The effect made the elven song sound edgier, darker and thrilling.

My mouth dropped open in shock. How? How was this even possible? Magic can do that? More importantly, where did Zither learn to make those sounds?

But the longer I listened, the more my shock and awe faded away replaced instead by a bubbling glee. Something of Thedas that was similar to home. Music and magic mixing together so perfectly I wanted to cry. I thought I would be doomed to the sounds of lutes, flutes, and drums while here; not that there was anything wrong with that but this was downright modern. This was like rock music, this... this was amazing.

I met Zither's eyes. They were crinkled, letting me know he was grinning at my reaction. "I knew you'd love it, darling." He said and gave a flourish as he finished the song.

"We've only just met, there was no guarantee I would have liked it." I pouted. He gave a low chuckle, amused. "And I only like it because it's similar to music from where I'm from." I sniffed and raised my nose up. "Don't call me darling."

He laughed, bellowing loudly and then gave a breath. "That's impossible. No one and I do mean no one can make music like me." He stepped close. "So you must be mistaken, darling."

I leveled a glare at him. "I beg to differ." I reached for his lute but he pulled it close and wagged his finger at me.

"Tsk tsk. No one touches Bella but me."

"Bella? Seriously? You named your lute Bella?"

"She's beautiful, why wouldn't I? I had her specially made…" Here he stroked the neck of the lute in an overly done way that reminded me of a special kind of stroking a man usually does in private. It sent me snorting and I had to turn away to not cackle in his face.

"Oh maker… I have someone I would love for you to meet, Zither." I thought of Varric and the way he handles Bianca when he's oiling up her gears and the whispers and unusually long strokes he does when he realizes he's being watched. Typically followed by some snarky remark about how he takes care of his "girl." It was remarkably similar.

"Oh? Do tell? Is she as captivatingly beautiful as you?" Zither stepped close.

"Beautiful? Yes. My friend is very beautiful, some would say roguishly handsome and a fantastical storyteller and lyricist. They also share your penchant for naming prized possessions." My lips twitched. I'm sure Varric would love the way I described him.

"Intriguing. But as tempting as she sounds, I must say I'm quite captivated with you, my lady. Might I have your name?" He extended his hand the moment his lute was at his back.

I blinked and flushed, my manners returning to me quickly. "Mercedes. But you may call me Mercy." I placed my hand in his and he lifted his mask just enough to kiss my gloved knuckles.

"Lady Mercy… Your name is just as exquisite as you are." His eyes twinkled as he picked his wine bottle back up. I laughed, because he was really laying it on thick. "Ah..." He placed a hand over where his heart would be, "…your smile is dazzling. Do laugh again, even if at my own expense. You radiate magnificently. Dare I say you may even be my new muse."

"Aren't you charming?" I couldn't stop smiling.

"Well, I do try, my lady. And what kind of man would I have been to allow a maiden as stunning as yourself remain upset." He stepped closer and brazenly tapped my lips. I went to take a step back but he snatched my hand. "Do join me for a dance?"

"I…um." The music had picked up from inside and I could hear it floating out now.

"I know, not quite as melodious as my own but it will do." He leaned closer to me and I didn't stop him as he whispered huskily in my ear. "After all, I can't play my Bella and dance with you at the same time, my lady. But I can do many other things simultaneously."

"Oh!" I was sure my eyes were wide and my cheeks flush. He was… oh, now that was very forward. "I… well." I stammered and he chuckled and merely swept me up into a dance, leading me around the garden. I barely had time to think to keep up with him. It was a slow dance but he managed to make it interesting with wider steps, spins, and dips.

"From which circle do you hail from?" he asked after I became comfortable with moving in time with him.

"I never went to a circle."

"An apostate? My my, how very criminal."

"Technically, all mages are now apostates." I mirrored Solas's words perfectly.

"Correct you are." Zither's leg trailed after my own as we spun in spot, propping us up with the other and then dipping me down. I clutched at his hands and he chuckled. My abdomen strained to keep myself upright but I needn't have worried as Zither was quick to pull me back up.

We chatted while we danced around the garden, mostly about him. About how his Templar agent nearly killed him and how he spent the last couple years writing songs in Cumberland, and not drinking his small fortune away.

"If you are not from a circle, tell me how did you come to be invited to this gathering?" Zither queried as the music lulled only to pick up again with something much faster. Zither did not let me separate, instead continuing our dance. One hand slid to my waist while directing my hand to his neck, and we were terribly close.

Perhaps my heart rate picked up a bit with the gentle and risqué way he managed to pull me closer. I may have also released a surprised breath and he may or may not have hummed, pleased with my reaction.

"I-" I started but paused as he spun me and I caught the end of a floppy wide brimmed hat from the corner of my eye. At least, I thought I did. "I came with the Herald of Andraste." I muttered softly, while trying to look around us.

"Oh? You know the Herald, personally?"

"Yes, well he was invited by Lady Vivienne." I couldn't look, dance and talk at the same time so I brushed it aside and concentrated on Zither. "He asked me to accompany him as a favor, so I did." I gave a gasp when Zither spun me around, this time a bit faster than before and yanked me back. My heels catching on a loose bit of stone and I fell against him. His arms came around my waist, catching me and pulling me flush against him.

"Now now, no need to fall for me quite so quickly." He chuckled, his hands sliding salaciously up my back and righting me.

"Oh please." I meant to say exasperatedly but it came out breathy.

Zither picked the dance back up but he moved us slowly toward the alcove he had emerged from. The darkness and shadows swallowed us up. It was secluded, hidden from view should anyone come out into the gardens.

My back hit the wall of the darkened alcove and Zither's arms trapped me in, his mask now off once we were well hidden. His goatee and face visible to me. He had an elegant jaw and pert lips that stretched into a confident charming smile. Zither grabbed my mask, slipping it off and resting it with his on the bench we completely ignored and chose to remain standing. My knees buckled as he moved dangerously close, his lips ghosting over my cheek. His breath warm against me.

It was happening much too fast.

"Please what, my lady?" He teased my lips with his.

That woke me up. My hand lighting up with electricity with full intent on forcing him back. But instead, he slipped his hand into my own. The pull of the fade became stronger around him, our magic intermingling as he sent a static charge through my had. But where I remember that being an attack meant to stun, this was different.

The electrical pulse traveled along my arm toward my spine where it blossomed through my body. My back arch toward Zither, pressing my chest against his as I gasped. A strangled cry came when another pulse went surging through me, this time it flooded down toward my center where a heat I hadn't noticed flared. "Ah!" I gasped each time he did it, his hand gently massaging my shoulder.

"P-please..." I moaned, unsure of what I was asking for, unsure of why I was letting him continue to affect me like this. Zither seemed to know as he complied with a chuckle, his lips and mine touching. Our magic flaring against each other. He was doing something; I know it because this didn't just happen. Did it?

Was this what it was like to be with a fellow mage? To be with someone with access to magic?

His lips were warm one moment, and freezing cold the next as I opened to him. He pressed me further against the wall. The hand at my shoulder slipped to my back and loosened my bodice quickly with well-practiced nimble fingers. I tried to catch the garment and prevent it from spilling open but my hands became incapacitated, busied by running through his hair and pulling him closer.

Hot and cold hands slid down my back, pulsing between inferno and winter magic's and eliciting moans and hisses from me that were swallowed up by him. A coil tightened inside me, winding and winding with each touch and my thighs were slick with want. I squirmed against him. "Ahh-" I vocalized loudly when he nipped my neck.

Zither pulled away from me and gaped down at me. "Do that again."

I panted, bewildered as his hands now grabbed my shoulders and he leaned closer. "What? Do what?" I asked, my voice too raspy so I coughed to clear it.

"Say… No! Sing Ah."

"You want me to sing?"

"Yes."

"What? We were just…and now you want me to- What the fuck!" I hiked my bodice back in place but he grabbed my hands and held them. I tried to pull back, now very aware about what was about to happen and I had been nearly powerless to stop it.

"Please, my lady. Just indulge me and I shall make it worth your while." He purred as he rubbed his thumbs against my palms. With the ambient magic was receding and my head clearing, I didn't want whatever to made worthwhile. Though part of me was _very_ curious to know what it would have been like with a mage, another part of me was terrified. I hadn't been completely in control of my faculties just then. It was very odd and frightening that magic affect me like that. How had he done that?

I glowered at him and yanked away from Zither. "No." I pushed my bodice back in place as Zither seemed to freeze in place at my rejection. I wriggled away from him and stormed off, or tried to before he grabbed my hand firmly and halting my escape.

"My lady. Please."

"Look whatever the fuck you just did made me behave in ways I am not comfortable with." I seethed. "So just stop!" Panic rose and I might have screeched that last bit too loud.

"Lady Mercy-" Zither tried to turn the charm on. The air became heady again, warm and I felt woozy. I took a tentative step toward him before snapping back and stumbling away from the alcove.

"No!" I tried to run but when I turned away the air was still heady, still heavy and something was egging me to turn back, to return to Zither's arms.

 _You want to. You crave it._

"No. I-I…" I muttered as I stepped forward toward the ballroom.

"Mercy?"

Kost stood in front of me. Next to him was Lady Vivienne. If I wasn't so out of it I might have felt ashamed, embarrassed even for my state of undressed. But as I looked up, Kost yelped and reached into his jacket pocket, pulling a handkerchief out and stepping to me. He held it up to my nose.

"Your nose is bleeding."

I held the clothe, pulling away to stare at the splotches of blood from my dripping nose. When I looked up, Kost was already removing his jacket and placing it over my shoulders. It was far too large, I swam in it and was surrounded by warmth and the scent of pine nuts.

But my nose was still bleeding.

Had I had a vision? I don't remember having one. I know I was…I blinked. What had I been doing?

It was something to do with Zither. I turned toward him, to see Vivienne sending him a withering glare and drinking from my glass of wine. Zither had his mask back on and was fidgeting. He kept glancing toward me.

A migraine settled behind my eyes, my nose dripped more blood. I pressed the clothe closer, looking around me frantically.

"Mer?" Kost asked, this time he leaned forward so as to whisper. "Are you okay?"

"I think… I'm going to have a vision."

"A vision? I thought you said you didn-"

The world exploded in red around me. Or it seemed that way. Red crystals, crimson splashes and red rimmed eyes peering down on me and then _I blinked my eyes open. I stood in the library that had become my prison for so long. Books strewn around on tables and scrolls and parchments partially pulled out of their vellums._

 _My hands raised in front of me. The fade rippled around me. My normally familiar blue magic was replaced by purple. It pulsed around me until it covered every inch of me, shielding me, concealing me._

 _"Mercy? Vishante Kaffas. Do not make me get Samson."_

 _I spun in place to see Calpernia stalking into the library, a scowl on her face as she searched for me. Would it work this time?_

 _"Our master is not pleased when you do this. You are inhibiting your studies when you attempt to leave us."_

 _I shifted back away from her, quietly as Calpernia didn't seem to see me. I peeked at the purple almost pink like magic. Could she not see that? Could she not feel it?_

 _"Mercedes!" Calpernia chided as she made her rounds around the library. She flicked her hand and blue magic picked books up and shelved them, presumably where they were supposed to go._

 _"I thought we had moved past this childishness." She sighed as she moved around and looked around a bookshelf._

 _I watched her, waiting and patient. She seemed to stop calling for me, now walking around, specifically close to the doors, stopping a few times to speak in hushed tones. I was too afraid to move closer to hear so I moved away from her, toward a window._

 _The library had several stories worth of books, the walls were made of stone bricks and were lined with barred windows. The sound and smell of the ocean wafted in with each breeze. I could hear, faintly, warriors training and the bustle of the red lyrium army outside._

 _I peered out the window and faced the endless green sky, tainted by the breach as it expanded. The towering red lyrium that had no effect on me. The many towers of Corypheus's fortress, the base of operations where his generals worked from. It was where the Templars came to begin their first draught of red lyrium. It was where the Venatori came to marvel at the Elder One's might._

 _And it was both my prison, and my home ever since the Herald went missing; presumed dead but I knew better. I **knew** better._

 _My hands gripped the bars, charging it up with heat. If only I could just find a way out of here._

 _"What do you think you're doing, calling me from my duties?"_

 _I snapped around to see Samson. He wasn't looking at me but said it generally to the entire library._

 _"She's hidden herself." Calpernia explained exasperatedly. "Again."_

 _"I wasn't speaking to you." Samson snapped as his eyes tracked around the library. "Hmm. Mercy. Is this truly going to be a recurring problem?"_

 _I did not answer him. I pressed my hands to the bar, hoping the heat I generated might melt it. Who cares what it did to my own flesh. I had to get out. I **had** to find Kost before it was too late._

 _"So be it."_

 _I felt the distant smite but it was nowhere near me. It would only be a matter of time._

 _The flesh on my skin bubbled as the heat of the metal became excruciating. I was screaming but they couldn't hear me, they couldn't see me, they couldn't sense me. I was invisible, intangible for all they knew._

 _There was an audible crack though as where the metal met cold cracked. The bars fell open._

 _I made to climb out, only for arms to grip my waist and the fade, my mana, all touch of magic was gone. My pained screams echoing in the library and out into the courtyard below. But none of the army paid any mind. They were used to my "nonsense."_

 _"Now now."_

 _"Just let me go! LET ME GO!" I sobbed, thrashing against Samson._

 _"The potion, Calpernia. She's having a bad day." Samson huffed as he yanked me further away from the window. Tables flipped in the struggle as the red glowing potion bottle was forced down my throat. Gauntlet hands covered my mouthed and pinched my nose, forcing me to swallow._

 _In mere seconds I lay on the floor, weeping and unable to move, staring at the seared flesh of my hand and my exposed arm where the many failed attempts of escape have scarred me._

 _"She'll be calmer when it wears off. At least she didn't manage to jump this time. Last time it took her nearly two weeks to completely heal."_

 _"Do keep a better eye on her. I have an army to run."_

 _"Perhaps it would be easier if you assigned one of your Templars here."_

 _A deep sigh. "Very well. I'll assign Barris. She seems to respond well to him."_

 _"Mercy?"_

"Mercy?" Kost was still hovering over me, watching me and now pressing the clothe to my nose when my hand had gone slack. My hand! I could still feel the heat, the pain but there was nothing there, no scars.

"Kost… I…."

"Is everything alright?" Vivienne's smooth voice called as she walked over.

How long had passed? Was it a moment? Seconds? Minutes?

"I hope Zither didn't sour your time here at the Chateau. I'll be having words with him later." Vivienne questioned as she once again sent a chilled glare toward the Bard who was trying to slink out of the gardens unseen.

"No it's fine. I'm just tired, I might have had too much wine." I muttered. "Kost knows I don't handle wine too well." I wiped my nose with the clothe, hoping I wasn't still bleeding. It was also a very terrible lie, if Vivienne caught it and let's be honest she caught the lie, she didn't say anything.

"If you need rest, I have a guest room readily available." She offered, this time there was something very gentle in her eyes, almost pitying. If I wasn't actually drained, I might have felt offended. "It wouldn't be any trouble, my dear."

I looked to Kost.

"If you want to go back, just say so." He said but hovered close.

"Has she joined the inquisition yet?" I muttered softly, pushing my own concerns away. This was important. Vivienne _is_ important to the Inquisition, she must be recruited.

"She's offered but… I'm unsure of-"

"Then I will rest." I interrupted him. "You still have questions for her, so ask away while you can."

"But Mercy."

"No. This is optimal, Kost. We will need her help. _You_ will need her help." I said sternly and then fully turned to Vivienne. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble. I think I'd like a bit of a rest."

* * *

 **Notes** : To clarify, yes Zither is one of the many DAI multiplayer characters. I've made it my goal to include most, if not all, of the multiplayer characters in some way shape or form as well as numerous NPCs and background characters. Sort of like Easter eggs. As it turns out though, Zither is more than an Easter egg as he is going to have a much larger role, purely for my own selfish desire to write about magic and music intertwining. So expect that in the future.

Also hint: I would pay attention to when these visions show up and how they may or may not change. If you aren't already.

 **METALHELLSPWN** : You are correct, Zither is from the multiplayer. Aww that's sweet but this will not be the first time Mercy is called that, and not everyone who does call her it dies. Though not to say they don't get their asses kicked. I'm glad the outfits were well received. Honestly wasn't sure if I should stay strictly to canon or make up my own idea or reasons for the half masks. Thanks for reading! Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter.

 **Ninjagirl2211** : Haha! Sorry I didn't give like a little hint at the end of that chapter for who he was.

 **5 Coloured Walker** : Yes. This is the major plot deviation for specific reasons. I want Mercy to have been lulled into a false sense of security that she would know everything about what is to happen. And this is the first change to what she knows. We shall see how the future changes because of her presence and how her "knowledge" becomes useful or useless.

 **Guest** : Thanks for reading! Yes It's one of the things I planned out. because if things change then clearly the OC-insert must be surprised because it didn't happen how they remember. So it has to surprise the character. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. There will definitely be more Bull. it might take a while but there will be.


	68. Update and Bonus

**UPDATE:** Hey guys! A few updates.

 **1**. Right so if you're on this chapter you will note how there are suddenly more chapters! But they aren't new chapters. This is because I decided to revert to the original chapter structure from my AO3 version, which is where I first posted this Fic. I changed it for FFdotnet for the sheer fear that if I included any of the supposed questionable chapters that I would then have my story deleted.

I reverted to my original because I was reading some other stories and well suffice to say some of those other stories have far worse and far more explicit and questionable chapters than anything I've yet written. So, I will no longer be cutting my chapters off from the secks. If an administrator does tell me to remove the questionable chapters, then yes I will comply. But until then I now no longer have to take a day or two in order to make the chapters safe for here. Which means Maker Have Mercy on FFdotnet will now be SAME DAY update as the posting on AO3. And short of my review responses and some notes, there will be nothing different from the AO3 posting to this one.

This also means that some previously cut subtle plot hints are now back in play, which was the main reason why i did this. I sat down and read the FFdotnet version to see how it read and to see if any plot arcs were obvious or some hints were missing due to how I had to change things and well there was a few, not a lot but enough that it left me displeased. So for the sake of the plot I am risking story deletion. So cross your fingers the admins don't start enforcing the rating system.

Also in the restructure I removed some chapter notes and authors notes to clean it up. And yes I spent roughly 7 hours to do all this re-uploading and replacing of chapters but it was worth every second.

 **2.** I will be porting this fic to be post-able on Wattpad. While it is not up there just yet, you can follow me on there with the same author name, comavampure. And if you prefer to read fics on AO3 my name is also comavampure. Most times I use this name for almost everything "fan" related. So that is also my tumblr name and you're more than welcome to follow me on there, though I don't post much of anything of substance.

 **3**. This story has hit a major milestone, or major to me anyway, on both AO3 and FFdotnet. Now when I first began writing this fic I never thought it would be so well received or even get this much attention. I told myself roughly a year ago that if I ever got this far I would try to return the favor to the community, the readers, and my fellow authors. Sadly, i don't have much that I can offer as I can neither mod the game, make fanart, or do dramatic readings of fanfics (I have terrible sound equipment). So I thought I would simply showcase or endorse a few other stories of this nature. By this nature I mean the Modern OC Insert into Thedas. We're a very small group of this fandom and we should support each other. You'll see these endorsement sections come the next chapter. I will take suggestions, as I have been for the music Mercy Sings.

Which btw thank you everyone who has sent me messages with those. I'm eagerly looking over the song list and when and where I will incorporate them and how they have to be changed to fit the world of Thedas.

 **3a.** To go with the previous one, to further celebrate I am releasing some shorts I had written. I never thought I'd ever release these shorts i wrote a long time ago. But seeing as how we, and I do mean _**WE**_ , hit this major milestone, I thought to grab something from my ever increasing file of shorts I've written as practice. I've written a a few of these in order to get into the minds of not only the companions, but also NPCs that I will be including later on. Usually i take their first meeting and flip it and write from their point of view, figure out what they were doing, where their thoughts were and of course what they think of Mercy upon meeting her.

So here's something special and completely unplanned while I finish off the next proper chapter

* * *

 **When the Bull Met Mercy**

The Iron Bull had known right from the start they were there. He just wasn't sure when they'd approach. The Qun knew there was an Andrastian Cult in these hills but they were secretive and hard to infiltrate and what little information they did have, was mostly from gossip. But it was more than enough preparation for the inevitable confrontation when their scouts spotted him and the Chargers.

The Ben-Hassrath tracked the movements of the archers. They were good, they barely gave anything up but the occasional flash of blue was more than enough for him to know there were reinforcements, he just didn't know their numbers; whether there were five or ten, he couldn't tell. Not that the Chargers couldn't handle them, it was just easier to avoid a confrontation if they could. Plus the company of these hills might have intel on the Inquisition that could get him in easier than just coming out and saying, "Hi. Ben-Hassrath. The Qun wants to know if they need to launch an invasion to prevent the world from ending, so they sent me to investigate."

The Qunari turned as soon as Krem pointed them out. Three figures coming from the forest walking steadily, the two warriors with their weapons sheathed and the mage holding her staff out.

The center warrior wore almost all dark red armor with glinting iron plating. His gait was strong, confident but there was a tremor in his hand. Not from an itch to draw a weapon, but from withdrawal. Lyrium withdrawal. So an ex-templar.

The second warrior was a red head. _Hmmm red heads._ He was built, young and wore the colors of the other scouts high up in the cliff and in the forests. His gait was strong, purposeful and his eyes watched him. He was suspicious, untrusting of the Iron Bull right off the back. That one was going to be difficult if he had the ear of the leader.

The mage, he only knew was a mage because of her staff. She didn't walk like any mage he knew. In fact her steps were bouncy, excited and her eyes wide with… recognition?

Did she know one of his Chargers? Perhaps an ex-lover? He turned to the Chargers. "Any of you know her?"

A few stood and then shook their heads sitting back down. They were tense, knowing the possible outcome of this.

"Krem? She one of the broken hearts you've left behind?"

"No chief. I'd remember hips that sway like that." Krem's smirk made him chuckle.

She did sway, which reminded him of the courtesans of Orlais, attracting attention of a possible client by simply walking by them. Her robes were white which made her an easy to spot target. Yet the recognition she easily displayed and her almost gleeful smile that became wider the closer they got, that was suspicious.

As the three of them got closer, he rose grabbing his Edge and stepping up to meet them. The two warriors faltered adjusting for his height. Not her. She was amused by this.

"Greetings. I understand you are Iron Bull-"

" _The_ Iron Bull"

Now he knew she knew something. There were few people in this world that knew to include the _The_ and he was the only one to have told them. Bull flicked his gaze to the mage and she noticed immediately reacting. She still held the recognition for him in her eyes but now she balked, scared. That he chalk up to being a Qunari but then her cheeks blushed and then she shied away, hiding behind her leader.

Bull knew every person he had ever met, he'd recognize them and connect the name to them in his head. Knew them by their faces, their mannerisms, and their names. But she was not one of them, so how is it she knew of him? Sure he had a reputation as a Mercenary but even then they didn't realize it was him until they asked.

He'd have to watch her closer.

Iron Bull turned back to the leader, listening closely to his introduction. The other two were his second and third. She was probably his second, most likely in bed with him if she could just correct him like that. It would explain her more carefree personality, she's secure in her position.

Or not. He watched the red head practically step into her the moment Krem flirted with her, protective and glaringly jealous. Emeric didn't so much as bat an eyelash and even seemed amused at his second and third's antics.

"Hey Chief, these guys fought off some Tevinters recently."

"Oh? And how did that go?" He turned, watching not only Emeric but also this Mercy and her apparent red head lover, Alon.

"Not well. We lost one of our own to them. But we gained a very valued member in turn." Emeric lifted his goblet toward Mercy and Iron Bull looked at her closer.

"And who might you be?" He turned to her suddenly, pretending not to have heard her name earlier. She jumped in place at the sudden attention. Guilty conscious? "No need to be scared, I'm not going to eat you. Not unless you want me to." He chuckled lowly, watching her reaction. Instead of what he expected she practically became bright red. He'd had that effect on women before but not to that magnitude.

 _Was she thinking about it?_ Her eyes flicked to just below his belt.

 _Oh she definitely was._

"Hmm." _Not my typical type, she was a bit small in the chest area but her curves more than made up for it._ Bull eyed her openly. His eye flicked to the red head who audibly growled, bristling at the attention the Qunari gave her.

Emeric gave a snort of laughter and turned away from the two. Good to know the leader was laid back. Iron Bull turned back to him, leaving Krem to get anything else from the other two.

"So Tevinters?"

"Yes. We've had some trouble with them as of late. They've been seen all over our hills for the past few months." This Bull already knew, it's why he'd been dispatched, tracking their movements from Orlais and then to Fereldan during the Breach. "However we lost track of many bands of them when the Breach happened. We became occupied curbing the chaos and documenting the rifts."

"Documenting? What's there to document?" Bull looked shrewdly at the red armored man who merely sipped the ale he had offered him. He was hoping the man would be more indulgent but a sharp look from the woman, Mercy, had him taking sips instead of gulps.

"Where they are for the most part. Knowing their locations has helped curb the chance of attacks but it has severely stunted our tracking of the Tevinters." Emeric offered. It wasn't much, nothing he didn't already figure out but the fact they were documenting where the rifts were, now that was useful.

"My other guys are actually scouting around further north, tracking some Tevinter blood mages and slave traders." He gave some information, now Emeric should be more forth coming with his. Though he had narrowed his eyes.

"Hmm, if you intend to hunt Tevinters, it would be wise to avoid the rifts. Especially if they are blood mages. The demons that spew from them could be controlled by them." Emeric nodded, deep in thought. "If we had a spare map I would offer it to you. But, I can show you what to look out for to avoid the rifts, if you wish?"

"I know what they look like. Green tears."

"No no. We've documented their range as well, we set up markers around them to warn those who come through these hills." Now that was pertinent information.

"Show me."

* * *

The Chargers packed up the camp and the Three Blades went to grab their packs and speak with the archers.

"What do you think Krem?"

"They help us with what we need to do and it helps them. Mutually beneficial, plus it'll help you get in good with the Inquisition." Krem gave his assessment. "Though she's a bit suspicious. Acted like she recognized me and you."

"Yeah." Bull narrowed his eyes as he watched them come back. Emeric looking a tad worse for wear, his hand visibly trembled but he tucked it against his belt. Alon however was glued to Mercy's side as they approached. "Get her talking. I'll listen in."

"Sure thing, chief."

They took a brisk pace along the shore, weaving between the forests. He was only half paying attention to Emeric as he went on about the rifts. Ten spread across the hills, five on the coast and shore. There are probably more along the coastlands but as for this part that is how many they had seen.

"So why're you wearing a white robe? Seems to draw the eye. Unless that was your goal. Then my eye was drawn." He could hear Krem behind them as he tried to talk to Mercy around the red head. She giggled, her shoulder's shaking from where he saw. The red head between them tensed, Bull watched as his hand fisted.

"She wears white to denote her rank." Alon said.

"Then why aren't you in white? Aren't you a higher rank than she?"

"No. She and I are on level."

"What?" She looked bewildered at that. "I didn't know that. Here I thought I was _under_ you." She joked, poking the red head. The blush on Alon's cheeks made Bull want to see what else turned red on him. "Or was that on _top_ , I seem to recall us switching from time to time."

Krem was snickering. She liked to play.

"–100 yards around the rifts, so it is easier to distinguish where the rifts areas are." He pulled his full attention back to Emeric at that.

"One hundred yards…" Bull whistled lowly. "How'd you figure that out?"

"Through trial and error. We got the initial idea from Mercy, she has tremendous foresight."

 _Foresight_. Alon had said the same earlier about Mercy. "Foresight, huh?" What could that mean? Did she have some inside knowledge?

"Chief!" Iron Bull spotted Cait, one of his running up. "We've spotted the Tevinters, they aren't alone." Good, he growled. He could really let off some steam. His eye swiveled to Cait.

"How far out? How many?"

"A dozen gladiators and zealots, five mages, a brute and six stalkers." Damn. That was a lot. They must be transporting something big. Or…

Bull's eye swiveled to Mercy.

There had been odd reports in some of the Tevinter papers they've picked up. A boon to be found on the hills but none of the papers or missives ever said what exactly the boon was, just that it was here. He'd reported back about it and his orders were to find out if the boon was dangerous and powerful. If it was, to either destroy it or transport it back for study.

He turned back to Emeric. "Can you get the archers to the perimeter in time, for back up?" Bull asked Emeric seriously. The responding grin and looks from his second and third were both worrisome and exciting. He found out why.

* * *

"So. Templar?" Iron Bull asked Emeric as they took cover behind a boulder. Emeric looked at him. "I can recognize the lyrium withdrawal."

"You're a lot more than you say you are, The Iron Bull." There was a guarded suspicion there and Bull eyed him seriously. "But she said I could trust you so I will."

"She?" Emeric looked toward the bushes he knew Krem, Stitches, Alon and Mercy were. He watched as Alon leaned forward and gave the mage a kiss, her response immediately was her falling backward flushing. She was very expressive, there was no way she could lie. Unless it was an act. "That's what I find odd. You're an ex-Templar and you trust a mage so close to you. Not many would."

"Not many mages go out of their way to save a Templar from certain death."

"There's a story there."

"There is. But for another day, the archers are ready."

"I'll hold you to that."

Sneaking into the clearing was easy and then came the fun part. His axe swung down, the Brute's head caving in on itself. He ran forward and took out the next gladiator with a tackle, smashing his axe into the ground a shockwave ringing out around thanks to the enchantments. His eye swept the battlefield watching his people making sure they were covered.

Knocking a zealot clean off his feet, only to get pushed back by a gladiator. Iron Bull grinned kicking the gladiator down and pining him under his axe, slicing him in half. He never understood why the Vints left them so exposed.

He looked up just in time to see a Vint mage draw blood from one of the slaves. _Damn_ , he thought Stitches would have gotten them out by now. He ran forward just as the Shades were summoned.

Vint bastard, don't you touch – Fuck.

He swung his axe before the mage could summon more shades. The satisfying crunch of Tevinter mages and the spurt of blood as they fell to his axe.

His eye found Stitches, dispatching a zealot. "Stitches! The slaves!" He roared before jumping back into the fray. A darting white figure rushed toward the slaves as well. But he was more concerned with the shade bearing down on Krem.

Bull swiped at the shade, cutting it in half with one fell swoop and then he continued cutting into it until it was just a stain on the floor. Krem swung his own great axe at another shade.

A terror filed screech rang out, drawing everyone's attention including the remaining vints. The Chargers took advantage of this, taking them out. Bull scanned the perimeter and behind the carts was a struggling white robed mage being hefted up, a black clothe bag over her head.

He headed for her when he saw Emeric charge the Gladiator holding her. She fell, struggling to sit up, one hand pinned to her chest. He took a look around, making sure others were taken care of before stepping to her.

"Easy." He tried to calm her but she continued struggling to move. He could hear her gasps through the bag. Could she breathe? He pinned her hands down and that made her panic more but he quickly tore the bag. He froze when he caught sight of her eyes. They were wide, pupils dilated yet they were unfocused foggy. She wasn't there, she was somewhere else. The absolute terror reminded him of Tal-Vashoth back in Seheron when they saw him, were captured by him. But she was fighting, with her feet and fists. Yet she's a mage, why wasn't she using her magic?

"Mercy…" Alon dropped his sword and crouched down. Bull watched as she became less panicked, calmed and stopped flailing as she crawled toward him.

She wasn't acting that's for sure. But she was a weakness to the Blades. Precious as it seemed, something he could exploit. And why had the Vint gladiator been so set on dragging her out? He turned his sight on Emeric.

The chargers and Blades made sure each Vint corpse was actually dead, his Chargers collecting papers discreetly before the blades could see them. He'll have to read them later. The coin was halved between the Chargers and Blades, Emeric taking the coin and immediately handing a silver to each of the now freed slaves and with strict instructions for them to either head to West Hill. He had to admire the man for doing that, though he wondered if any of them would make it.

"Bull, her healing, it's not like anything I've ever seen." Stitches told him as they set up camp. "I've seen spirit healers work before and this… this was even more thorough."

"Yeah no scars."

"Not just that. No sign of any damage. Even a spirit healer would be tired after just one attempt at that and she did it _twice_."

There was _something_ more to her. He had to find out.


	69. Riffmasters

I had told Kost and Vivienne I would rest but I have been laying here in silence. The only light from the hearth. At the time I agreed because well yes Vivienne is very important to the future success of the Inquisition. I had no doubt her tie to the Imperial Court would be beneficial, financially at the very least, to the organization. So I pushed aside my own wish to return to the apartments in favor of giving Kost the time he needed with her.

Besides, Vivienne wouldn't do something purely out of the goodness of her heart, especially for a complete stranger. So she probably offered in hopes I would stay. Or something like that. I wasn't sure and I didn't want to think about the Game. Political games were not my forte and while I can hold my own with less important matters, like bartering, there was no way I could do the same for accomplished players like Vivienne.

Nor would I want to. That sounds like a whole host of mental stress that I was glad to be rid of from back on Earth.

Huh. I suppose that is one thing Thedas has over Earth.

Anyway, the room itself was fairly large, though Vivienne had described it as small. It had a double wide bed, curtains, draperies. A large ornate hearth and braziers around. Like how much sources of heat do you need? And once I reassure Kost, again, they were off. I did hear them talking beyond the door but I didn't pay attention. I had a lot on my own mind and did lay down. I had slept for a few minutes but there was an unsettling feeling that woke me up.

A visitor.

Gentle soft footsteps crept closer to me as I lay on top of the bed. He could be as silent as he chose yet he approached me with intent to let me know he was here. Even if he wasn't letting me know he was there I could sense him. It was unsettling. Before I couldn't but ever since the day in the bazaar I just knew when he was near. Had my touch done something? I didn't know. There was so many weird things happening and I... I was tired. Drained as always after these visions, be it for the sheer amount of magic it took or because of the blood loss, I wasn't sure.

I was exhausted and whatever lapse in memory I had was gone. Images of how I behaved, how I had been completely and utterly all over Zither came back to me. What was _wrong_ with me? First with Bull and now this. Only this time I didn't have the excuse of magic laced Tevinter wine. I covered my face, curling up and wanting nothing more than to lay there, forever. But that wasn't an option.

Cole's wide brimmed hat peeked over the edge of the bed as he crouched, peering at me with his wide innocent blue eyes. Sometimes they looked gray but right then, they were blue.

"There is nothing wrong with you." His voice, gentle as ever said.

What was he even doing here? Wasn't it dangerous considering Vivienne?

"Yes."

"Please stop reading my thoughts."

"I can't." He answered.

"What do you mean you _can't_?" I unintentionally snapped at the boy but he blinked, unaffected. I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "Sorry I didn't…I'm sorry for snapping Cole, I'm just-"

"Tired. The beyond is there with a blink but then you are worn and wearied. You are drained and you just want to sleep but it rushes back to you. Filling you, clawing inside and bursting. You cannot sleep. Whirring, whizzing, too many possibilities, too many threads, too little time. How does it come to be? When does it change? Where do you go wrong?" Cole perched onto the bed. His long legs bent and he now peered down at me.

"Do… do you know where I go wrong?" I whispered.

"No."

I closed my eyes. Of course. It would have been too much to hope for. How do I even fix something that I don't know how it messes up? Is it something that I will do? Or maybe…something I've already done?

"Cole…Did you follow the Templars?" I looked at the spirit. He was safe for all I can tell, no harm done. Well no _more_ harm done.

"Yes."

"They didn't hurt you right?" I sat up, my hands instinctively reaching for him but I paused. I wasn't sure if it was okay to touch him. Last time I did and something _weird_ happened. I didn't want that to happen again.

"No." Came his monosyllabic reply. "Ser Barris is coming."

"What?!" I barked and scrambled off the bed. "Why didn't you say so? Where is he coming to? How did you even get him to meet me?"

"I wrote a note. But he is far away, I came because you were hurting." Cole said. "You are louder now."

I was louder now? How? I shook my head. The important thing was Barris was coming. I could warn him! "What did the note say?"

"The Herald wishes to speak with you."

I fell off the bed in my scramble. I popped back up and gaped at Cole. "The HERALD? Cole are you mad… I-I… can't have the Herald meet Barris…" I trailed off. Why couldn't I? If Barris speaks with the Herald- er Kost then maybe, we could get the Templars to help. Barris could rally those who are suspicious of the higher ranked Templars and leave the Order. Right? They could right?

I chewed my lip. Cole fiddled with the threads of his sleeves as I thought.

But then what of the rebel mages? I couldn't leave them to their fate of slavery. Not to mention the time magic gone awry. _Time Magic_. That gave me pause.

"Where is Barris now?" I asked Cole.

"In the Templar camp. Waiting for the others to sleep to sneak out." Cole's eyes closed in thought as though listening.

"Oh. So… okay." He hadn't departed yet. I still had time to make amends and maybe fix some things that happened tonight, particularly with a certain bard mage. I sighed and sat back against the bed. "Thank you Cole. If you don't mind… could you tell me when Ser Barris manages to sneak out?"

"Okay."

He didn't leave but stayed. I didn't mind. His presence was comforting, especially as the only one who knew everything I was feeling, the only one who could even come close to fully understanding what I was going through. "Cole, you know you're my friend right?"

A beat of silence.

"I am?" His voice came out in awe. I leaned down to peek under his hat and his eyes were wide. "I am your _friend_?" He was incredulous, disbelieving of my words.

"Yes. A very good friend too." I explained. Cole looked up and stared. For a moment there was something akin to hope in his eyes. Something happy about the way he stared at me. And then it darkened. His eyes becoming cloudy and he was frowning.

"I don't think I should be." He turned dour and hid. "I… wouldn't be a very good friend."

"But you have already been one."

He gave a low whine, shaking his head back and forth. "No. No… I can't. I hurt my friends-"

"I am not Rhys or Evangeline. I know why you did the things you did Cole and it's… okay. They know why too, and they forgive you too." I touched his hand, ready to pull back if he was in pain but there was nothing. His hand was cold and his fingers thin and calloused. He was staring at my hand and then raised it.

"Friend." He muttered. I nodded, slowly smiling as his lips stretched into their own shy smile. I could have sworn I saw a blush on his cheeks but he was ducking his head, hiding underneath his hat. "I am…glad. You want to help and then…we can help so many people."

"That's right." I agreed and then Cole frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Let me help you."

"I'm pretty sure you already did-hey wait!" He pulled me off the bed and led me toward the door. I never expected Cole to be quite so strong. "Cole where are we going?" I gingerly hefted my skirts up and followed after him. But he said nothing as we darted out into the darkened corridor of the chateau. It had been early evening when Kost and I arrived and now it was firmly becoming night. The moons Seres and Satina were full and let me see without the use of torches or magic glow balls.

We turned only once and climbed down some stairs, slowing as the faint sounds of the salon trickled in through an open window. The window overlooked the garden and I had to dig my heels in, slowing Cole as I caught sight of Kost.

Cole looked back at me but I was peering out into the garden. There was Kost, the only Qunari in a sea of Orlesian nobles. And next to him was Vivienne. She was introducing him to someone. I couldn't see who but based on Kost's expression he was nervous and wanted to escape but was begrudgingly staying by the grip Vivienne had on his arm.

I cringed.

"I wish I could go. But so many important people. Josie would want me to meet them." Cole muttered Kost's thoughts.

"I almost feel bad for him. But… he's going to have to get used to this part."

"Why?" Cole asked.

"For when he becomes the Inquisitor." I whispered and we pulled away from the window, continuing down the hall. This time we made our way slower. I followed the spirit of Compassion further until more music sounded. It was faint but very different to the sounds of the salon. It sounded like a…piano.

Cole stopped outside a grandiose door and opened it. It did not creak, did not make a sound but the notes of what sounded like a piano drew me closer. The door wasn't open enough for me to look in but I could hear the music. It was a hauntingly soft tune.

"It sounds so sad." I whispered.

"Solemn in solitary. Singular and separate. I do not belong, do not fit in. They call me friend, family, lover but I know it is not true." Cole began softly.

I was frozen in place as he spoke.

"I am distant, different, disjointed. How can I belong when I am not like them? We are too far; too closed off. I want to connect, to touch, to feel, to be one." Cole muttered.

I flinched at each word. I felt them resonate within me, felt each word wound me. My doubts, my fears; where was my place in Thedas?

"I smile. See, I am happy. I joke. I am happy? I sing. I am…" Cole continued. "I am not happy. I am so afraid, so small, insignificant. What can I do? How can I change anything?"

"Stop." I whimpered. "Stop it, Cole." I covered my face. "I know you said you can't stop reading my thoughts but you don't have to voice them. " I pleaded.

He frowned. "I didn't mean to hurt you." He looked like he was pulling into himself. "But they are also his thoughts."

"His?"

Cole opened the door more and gestured for me to walk in.

The room itself was large with several chairs, couches and love seats lining the room. The walls decorated in ornate paintings that I couldn't appreciate in the dark. But there was one source of light in the room, casting long shadows, distorting the statues and armor stands into sinister gargoyles keeping watch.

It was not a comforting sight, especially as I moved closer to what _looked_ like a piano. A medieval-esque piano? I wasn't sure. It's haunting melody chiming out slowing and I came around, able to see who was playing it.

It was Zither which was surprising given his more positive and upbeat music and the way he held himself. His mask was off and he was playing, fingers dancing across the two rows of wooden keys. The lid of the piano-like instrument was propped up, displaying some type of scenery painted, or was it a tapestry affixed to it? I couldn't tell in the low light but there were colors and shapes that I'd only be able to view properly during the day.

Zither's hair was loose, hanging in a curtain around him. It was remarkably wavy. His brows were furrowed, eyes closed as he concentrated on the music, the feeling. He was lost in the world of music, lost to the tune and lost to whatever troubled him.

Cole's words came back to me. Those had been his thoughts and his hurts?

This felt like a private moment. I shouldn't intrude. I went to turn away to go back to Cole but the door I had come from was closed and the spirit of Compassion was nowhere. On top of that Zither had noticed me and had stopped playing.

"Ah… it's you." He said evenly, not with the cheer and charm I had met him with mere hours ago. "I apologize, my lady. I shan't get in your way." He was standing, pulling his hair back and moving toward the door.

"Ah... um you don't have to go." I stuttered. "I mean… you were here first. If anyone should leave, it is I. I intruded on what is probably a very private moment. And I am sorry." I said but I didn't leave, even as he paused and turned back.

We stood in a tense and awkward silence. I took him in. The glowing ball of light floated near him, accentuating his features. There was a pensive look to his eyes as he also observed me. His brows drawn together as he considered me. His lips pert downward into a small frown, half hidden away by his moustache and goatee. He was pale, as is to be expected from someone who wore a mask nearly always. The white outfit did him no favors on that front.

"Sorry I should go." I snapped out of my reverie and turned away.

"One moment." Zither voiced. "If you don't mind…"

"Yes?"

"Why did you not stop me earlier?"

"What do you mean?" It was my turn to frown.

"If you did not appreciate my advances, you could have said no."

We stared at each other. I could have. But I didn't, too caught up in the moment and when I had a moment to think, to look over my behavior. I cringed. "I did like your advances, very much so but…"

"You did?" He took a half step forward a sly grin gracing his features.

"But considering a Marquis had only moments earlier called me a _whore_ , I didn't quite like how… _right_ and accurate he was. So I came to my senses." I explained.

Zither's eyes darkened dangerously and his fists clenched. "Who would call any woman such a foul word. Tell me who is he. I will fight for your honor, my lady."

For a moment I thought he was joking and wanted to laugh, until I felt the tense aura of magic surrounding him. "You're serious?" I gaped at him.

"It is an offense to your person, my lady." He explained, astonished at how lightly I was taking it.

But come on, seriously? Fight for my honor? _Really?_

"Well… I mean the guy is dead. Lady Vivienne killed him…" Had that been why she'd killed him? I felt somewhat sick. Someone had been killed because they _called_ me a whore? Just because of that? Oh how lucky was I that Emeric had been so lenient given all the things I had called him. I would have to watch my tongue.

"Slanderous and open accusations on one's honor are serious offenses in the Grand Game, even in such a small gathering." Zither continued stepping closer. "Allow me to offer my deepest apologies to have your first encounter with Orlais be something so foul."

"Yeah… thanks." I frowned.

"Perhaps I shall lighten the mood." Zither began, trying to insert cheer into the tense mood. "The piece you heard me playing was written by my old harpsichordist, Edmond. And you, my lady, are one of two people in all of Thedas to have heard it."

"Oh?" I questioned. "Wait… a harpsi-what?"

Zither frowned almost comically and he leaned forward. "A harpsichordist. They play the harpsichord." And he gestured with his hands at the instrument I had been calling a _piano_ this entire time.

"Is that… what that's called." I laughed nervously. "I thought it was a piano…" I mumbled under my breath.

"Pi...piano?" Zither sounded the word out and shook his head. "What is a piano?"

I blinked at him. They didn't have pianos in Thedas? Sweet mother Mary, what the fuck? "An instrument from where I am from. Similar to your… harpsi.. harpsichord." I had trouble pronouncing the word but managed. "But it's larger and the keys are sometimes made of ivory." I stepped up to the harpsichord, pressing on one of the keys. I pressed a few more trying to find the C note just as his hand came over mine and guided them toward it.

"Is that what you're looking for?" He whispered in my ear.

He was close but he didn't press closer, keeping his distance, even as my eyes flicked to his lips. Zither was devilishly handsome, and he knew it. Paired with his voice… I can see why he has fans.

I swallowed, nodding and then keyed out the simple tune. Memorized from years of playing the recorder and the electric keyboard in school, it was all we could afford in our school district.

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star." I began softly. My voice in tune with the harpsichord after a moment. "How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky." I took a breath. I could have sang the full version but I chose not to. "Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are…" I trailed off.

Zither muttered something I didn't understand. It sounded like French- Orlesian. His eyes drawn toward mine and a soft sort of expression overcoming him.

"Was that a nursey rhyme? I don't think I've ever heard it."

"Only a few have to date." I sighed, my shoulders relaxing. "Why did you want to hear me sing anyway? Especially in the midst of… all of that." I turned to Zither, my arms crossing.

"Ah… well." He stroked his goatee in mock thought and then winked. "I am currently looking to start a band to make my comeback tour."

"Your comeback tour?"

"Yes… I used to draw crowds from nobles and commoners alike. Packed theaters, you couldn't even sneak in!" Zither spun on his heel, picking up his lute from the table he had set _Bella_ on and strummed a tune. When he turned his mask was back on. I squinted my eyes as he strummed out a rather fast tune and then he began singing, _in Orlesian_.

"Impératrice, C'est ton règne que nous honorons, par cette chanson, dans tout Orlaïs. Nous glorifions ton nom. Impératrice, qu'importent les saisons nous te défendrons. Et nos cicatrices Grâce à toi se tairont." Zither harmonized.

If I didn't recognize the tune I wouldn't know what he was singing. I had always liked _Empress of Fire_ from the game, well all the tavern songs. My favorite of course being Enchanter Come to me, but that has a different memory attached to it now.

Orlesian's similarities to French, especially in song made the language that much more beautiful. I will never be able to speak it fluently but it was just nice to hear how eloquent it sounded to a tune.

"Nous sommes à jamais tes obliges…" He trailed off before he finished, lifting his mask. "I sang that one to the Empress Celene herself. I hear she rather liked my rendition of it."

"I can only imagine why." I retorted.

"Do I detect a hint of sarcasm, my lady?" He questioned.

"Perhaps." I snickered.

"You wound me." Both of his hands pressed to his chest in mock hurt. Oh dear, charming Zither was back.

"It wasn't intentional. But to make it up to you, shall I sing another song?" I stepped toward him.

"My, you must be after my very heart. I would love to be serenaded once again. Tell me which and I shall accompany you on Bella." He offered.

"You won't know the melody. I'll have to teach it to you. But it requires whatever you did to make your lute sound so…" I trailed off, unsure how to explain the sound manipulation he did. I _wasn't_ a musician. My preferred art involved paint, not sound. That didn't mean I didn't at least study the basics.

"Electric? Shocking? Magnifying?" Zither offered words to describe it with unrestrained glee. I eyed him at those specific word choices.

"Yes."

"Marvelous!" Zither gave a dramatic flare, swung his lute and strummed the magic into life onto his Bella. The film over the sound hole interested me a lot. Could it be applied to other instruments? What other sorts of sound manipulations could you do with such a talent?

"You got to teach me to do that." I muttered absentmindedly.

"Private Lessons then! Done!" Zither said and I gawked at him. "For the price of being able to join the Inquisition."

"You _want_ to join the Inquisition?"

"Of course! What better way to spread the word of Zither's return than by helping the Inquisition bring order in these troubled times. I'll have a hero's return to the stage!" Zither gave a grand strum and spun on his heel. It reminded me, tremendously of a certain King of Rock. "Soon as this whole Breach business is finished, I can return to my rightful place." He waved it off like it was a very simple obstacle to overcome.

Boy won't he be surprised to know how complicated it all was.

"I don't see any problem with you joining the Inquisition. But it's not really up to me. You'll have to ask the Herald." I explained.

Zither paused. "Ah… well. Hmm that is a problem. He's not exactly pleased I had inappropriately accosted his lover."

 _Lover._

"Lover? Kost has a lover? This… is news to me." I blinked.

Zither narrowed his eyes. "Are you not the Herald's lover?"

I sputtered. "Whatever gave you _that_ idea?!" My cheeks burned red hot.

"He did appear ready to harm me upon seeing you run away from me distraught…"

"Oh dear fucking maker." I groaned. "No, Kost is…" Actually did he like me? "Kost and I are just very good friends." No seriously, did he like me? Did Kost Adaar, Herald of Andraste and future Inquisitor like-like me?

I am a juvenile teenager. Honestly. _Like-like._ Who even says that anymore.

I do, that's who.

"Lady Mercy." Zither snapped me from my thoughts. A single eyebrow raised in question and a teasing grin.

"Right! Music… uh singing. Yes. Okay here's the melody…" I distracted him with the music. I worked out a very basic baseline on the harpsichord and then hummed and even made sound effects, albeit poor ones for how the guitar would go. Or in this case, the lute. The lute only has four strings but Zither managed fairly well.

We had to pause several times as I tried to remember the song. It feels like so long ago since I listened to it. In fact it has been years since I last heard this song. I was sure I fudged it up. Here's hoping the Prince of Darkness forgives my infraction. The end result ended up being something similar to what I remembered but it was its own song as well.

Zither was furiously writing the notes down as I hummed the song to myself. He had lit some of the candelabras in the music chamber so now the room was well lit. I eyed each painting. Many of them were of Vivienne and some elder fellow. I assumed that was the Duke Bastien.

"Truly amazing. I never thought to…" Zither would mutter every now and then. "Maddening, how did you think of this." He'd grip at me. "Where have you been all my life." He finally groaned as he stood up, fingers itching to play.

"Ready?"

"Yes." He assured me, but he still fumbled with his Bella and then grinned at me.

I tapped out the baseline on the harpsichord to start us off and then Zither let out a riff. Or what sounded like a riff on a lute.

"Watching the time go and feeling belief grow, rise above the obstacles. People beseech me but they'll never teach me things that I already know…." I sang, my eyes closing as I recalled the lyrics. Shortly after though, Zither stopped. I turned to find him slack jawed, his mask removed and his hands pushing his hair back. He was incredulous and shocked.

"Lady Mercy…your voice…" He whispered softly.

"What? It's bad isn't it. Sorry… I shouldn't have subjected you to cat screeches."

"No no. On the contrary. It's unlike anything I've heard. How… where did you learn - who was your vocal trainer."

 _MTV._ I couldn't say that of course.

" _Zither_." A chilled tone reprimand came from Vivienne as she entered the chamber. "I told you to _behave_ yourself." She glided into the room. It didn't sound like she was mad but her hand was icy with a winter's grasp. "Truly, Madame Mercy I am terribly sorry-"

"Oh… no it's quite alright." I raised my hands interrupting her. That was the wrong thing to have done because she looked at me affronted, as though _how dare I interrupt her_. I felt a lump in my throat as I feared for my very life just then. Even Zither shifted closer to me.

"Mercy, there you are." Kost's voice came and he too stepped into the music chamber. Behind him I watched Cole perch himself on a chair, shoes all over the upholstery.

Kost paused as he took in the scene, his eyes hardened as he saw how close Zither was to me. "Are you alright?"

"Yes!" I squeaked, flushing under Kost's stare. I am a high schooler realizing someone she finds attractive might have a crush on you. My composure was _gone._ I coughed into my hand, received a judgmental look from Vivienne for it. "Uh.. Um Zither and I were… just coming to an understanding and were just about to perform one of the songs from my home." I explained surprisingly with ease.

Zither remained silent, slowly inching closer and closer to me. His mask was on, once again.

"Oh? Please don't tell me Zither has bothered you with that racket he calls music." Vivienne tutted and looked at me with pity. "I must apologize."

"Not at all, Madame Vivienne. I rather like Zither's style."

Vivienne gave a displeased hum but didn't press it.

"And you… _want_ to sing?" Kost now asked as he approached. There was a guarded look in his eye but he gave me an amused half smirk. He was making sure this wasn't a case of laced wine again, I was sure but I nodded. "Then, Madame Vivienne we should let them continue. Mercy rarely sings and when she does it is quite a sight and a treat." Kost turned on that secret boost of charm I saw only once before, and then he had been _lying_ to me.

The both of them settled down on one of the couches and Zither and I composed ourselves. Well I had to because now I felt a tad more nervous. I was completely and utterly sober.

I watched Cole walk right in front of Vivienne and Kost and neither reacted. So I guess I was the only one who could see him. _Great._

The spirit sat closer, his eyes wide with wonder. "I've never heard you sing before." He muttered.

I wish I could have reacted without the others thinking I was crazy, so instead. I started again. The baseline on the harpsichord and Zither riffing off and I sang, my eyes closing as I recalled the lyrics.

"Watching the time go and feeling belief grow rise above the obstacles. People beseech me but they'll never teach me things that I already know." Zither continued the riff, this time not stopping despite his amazement. "Dreams that have shattered may not have mattered; take another point of view. Doubts will arise, though like chasing a rainbow. I can tell a thing or two."

I leveled my gaze at Kost. "You've got to believe in yourself or no one will believe in you. Imagination like a bird on the wing, flying free for you to use. O-K Baby!"

Kost's cheeks reddened.

"I can't believe they stop and stare and point their fingers, doubting me. Their disbelief suppresses them but they're not blind, it's just that they won't see." I looked to Zither. For this part I had given him free reign over what to do with his solo. And he shocked me by his fingers lighting up and strumming quickly in something that fit very well with the tone of the song but completely original. Even with four strings, he rocked out. I even closed my eyes and enjoyed the sound. I nearly missed my cue to sing. "I'm a believer, I ain't no deceiver. Mountains move before my eyes. Destiny planned out, I don't need no handout. Speculation of the wise."

Zither played the song out. It was all unpolished and we were _not_ perfectly timed but for a first try, I'd say not bad. Not bad at all. It'd sound even better with some drums or maybe even a riq to go along with it.

Maybe I should take up learning the lute.

Kost was clapping, as was Vivienne. Although the Iron Lady was a little less rambunctious than Kost. Her hands dainty in appearance clapped softly.

Cole had tilted his head, eyes closed.

"That was amazing, Mercy!" I gave Kost a look. "And… you too Zither." He added begrudgingly.

"Yes… quite surprising." Vivienne added but she wasn't looking at Zither, instead she was gazing at me. There was something very terrifying about the calculating look she was giving me. Like she'd just found a very cute fennec fox and wanted me skinned into a fetching pair of gloves.

Or, I was imagining things.

Still, Vivienne made me very nervous. That look she had given me would haunt me in my dreams, I was sure of it. I said as much the moment Kost and I climbed into the carriage that would carry us back to the apartments. This carriage was much larger and Kost sat comfortably opposite me.

Cole sat next to me. It was hard not turning to look at the spirit.

Kost informed me of what Vivienne had dragged him around to do. Meeting nobles, making arrangements to get goods to Haven in exchange for favors, things he was sure Josie would approve of. But that Vivienne would depart a day after us to head to Haven with Zither in tow, much to Kost's annoyance.

Eventually the carriage became silent as we were both very tired from the night's events. The sound of the horses pulling us along and the metal wheels along the smooth stone streets of Val Royeaux were somewhat soothing. It was at least calming to not have to worry about rifts, to know that things were moving along fairly well for Kost. And besides the Marquis, no one had died.

"Barris is at the Bazaar." Cole's voice whispered. My back straightened as I let out a tiny yelp. Kost who had been drifting off to sleep snapped awake and gawked at me and then shifted back.

"Who are you?!" He growled at Cole.

"You can see me?" Cole muttered, shocked. "He can _see_ me." He directed to me.

"Mercy…"

"I… Uh… How…" I was flummoxed as Kost's hands came alive with magic. "Wait wait… no Kost, he's a friend!" I said and Cole perched on the bench, I moved in front of him to hide him. Or I tried to but then a puff of smoke later and Cole was gone, leaving me with a very bewildered Herald of Andraste.

* * *

 **NOTES:** HAHA... get the chapter title? Riffmasters.. RIFF... RIFT. I am so done with my terrible puns. I am also extremely tired. I banged this chapter out over the course of the weekend, while doing that restructuring. Don't mind me. I may disappear for like a week or two to recuperate and drown in my tears.

I was going to include another secks scene for the sheer delight of having smut on chapter 69 but I decided not to. Also, time and pacing constraints prevented me from fulfilling my deepest darkest dankest desire. I, also, really wanted this music scene. Maker damn me, I wanted this song in there. It FIT what I wanted for both tone and foreshadowing. And we can all thank METALHELLSPWN for suggesting the song.

The song, _Believer by Ozzy Osbourne_ for this chapter was chosen by METALHELLSPWN **.**

 **METALHELLSPWN,** I considered having Mercy's visions being subject to interpretation but decided that was a trope I didn't want to explore. On the other hand, Yes. Mercy's visions are gradually going to cause some serious physical ailments for her. The energy it takes for those visions to happen will cause worse and worse symptoms the longer they get and the more detailed they get. The more information she gleans from them, the more energy, mana, or magic it takes. Also, thank you very much for the Bonus short appreciation.

 **Mental Verin,** The great thing is, you will learn more about these visions where Mercy is help captive by that ole Ancient Darkspawn magister! So much more. I have plans you see, very dark, terrible, tortuous plans for Mercy. -evil cackle-

 **Ninjagirl2211,** Isabella will have a very short cameo once we reach Skyhold. But she primarily features in my companion piece Maker Damned. I didn't want to have the two main casts of those stories crossover too much or so help me I may have gotten lost in what is revealed to who, where and when. I'm already toeing the line with Varric.

 **5 Coloured Walker,** OH GOD. Multiplayer is still very laggy for me but I stuck it out, if only to hear the funny banter between party members and explore the maps. We may even see one of those maps described by Mercy. Just imagine, Mage Scout Mercy, being sent out on a mission with other multiplayer characters to take down all the venatori in a noble's overrun house in the middle of Orlais. I can't wait to get to the chapters where Mercy can -gasp- actually fight well with her magic. Sadly, it is a long _long_ road. ANYWAY I got off on a tangent! I'm currently writing in a specific part of my outline to include Jowan in some way shape or form. Because blood magic why not?

The previous chapter was a bonus. it was some practice I did to make sure I had Iron Bull down pat before I had Mercy interact with him further. I do these sorts of practices to get more in tune with all the characters she interacts with. Some I don't do any sort of practice because it came naturally, like Sera and Cole. I did no prep for the chapters that have them, it was just straight writing. But characters like Varric, Bull, Cassandra, and Leliana, I needed to do some preparation to see how I handle their characterization and make sure i was okay with it. So I take the first meeting they have with Mercy and flip it and write from their POV to see where they are. So occasionally from now on I may dump a "BONUS" short. The chapters will be labeled as "BONUS" at the beginning but last chapter was special as I needed to get the Update in there first. But thank you!

 **Skymoon18,** Vivienne is very scary to Mercy. So once she is at Haven, Mercy is probably going to _attempt_ to stay very far away from her because she is terrified of Vivienne.


	70. Things Rarely Go As Planned

"A spirit?" Kost questioned as we skittered around a corner. "That was a spirit of compassion, named Cole who made himself real to... to what?" He asked as I huffed up the stairs with difficulty due to the heavy skirts of my gown

"To save the real Cole. Who had been a mage in the White Spire, forgotten and left to starve to death by the...Templars." I explained as Kost turned around as once again my skirt got caught on a stair corner. I'm officially going to invent shorter skirts because I hate gowns and petticoats. Impractical, useless garments that they were.

I'd told him that Cole had gotten us an audience with one of the Templars that had been there at the Summer Bazaar. We were a bit on a time constraint because we didn't know how long Barris would wait and Cole had basically disappeared. I honestly have no idea why Cole was visible to Kost without him knowing. Either way, we'd been running the moment the carriage dropped us off and I've been tripping and slipping.

"Right... and he's been watching the Templars." Kost nodded. "Okay, I think I got it."

I once again tripped, yelping as I met the paved road. I clambered back up, dusting myself off. Kost gave an impatient whine and got down on one knee, "Hop on." He turned his back to me.

"You sure-"

"Yes, hurry up!"

I climbed on and the moment my legs were secured, he took off with me squealing into his neck as I clutched his shoulders. He ran from darkened alley to shaded alcove and back to darkened alley while I held on. I was surprised a mage could hold me, much less run this fast. But then again, Kost had also been a mercenary.

He made short work of the streets of Val Royeaux and while we did startle a few people, who thankfully didn't fully see us, we managed to get to the Summer Bazaar just fine. It was empty, save for a wandering guard, who we avoided.

"Where is he?"

"I don't know... Cole only said he was here." I said as I used Kost's shoulders to peek around statues.

Kost sat on the steps to the center statue and I slid off and went exploring to find Barris. The stage that the Revered Mother had preached from was gone, and the main square was filled with empty stalls and locked doors and even in the hidden alcoves there was no one.

I turned back to see Kost with his face in his hands and shaking his head. "Hey... whats wrong?" He looked up at me and frowned.

"I just thought... that maybe our trip here wouldn't have been for nothing if we returned with some Templars. Then we could close the breach and..." He gave a great sigh and rubbed his face tiredly.

"You still have the invitation to Redcliffe."

"That's no guarantee the rebel mages can even help."

"What makes you say that?! Of course they can!" I stepped in front of Kost.

"Can they?" he blinked at me. "You're the one who knows the future. Can they honestly help?" He sighed again, glaring at his left hand. "I'm almost inclined to agree with Cullen. Pouring more magic into something we barely understand… it doesn't seem safe. Perhaps the Templars could suppress the breach enough for me to close it."

I faltered. This wasn't something I wanted to reveal but perhaps it was time? If Kost knew that no matter who he chose, the breach would be sealed, maybe it might soothe his worries. But then… I bit my lip. Maybe he should know about the troubles each group is facing and will face and how wrong it can go.

But then where would I stop? I couldn't go into why they were happening, only that they were happening. If I go into the why, that would lead places I didn't want to go.

"Kost. There is something I need to tell you. Its why... its why I had Cole get us an audience..." I broke off and sat right next to him on the stairs and lowered my voice. "You're not going to like any of it."

I had his attention and very carefully I told him about the red lyrium Templars in hushed tones, carefully scanning around me. I only explained that there was corruption within the Order's rank but that not all of them were yet corrupted or forced to drink the red lyrium. That there was still many in the lower tiers who were free but were simply following orders. Not that it'd absolve them of what they've done wrong. Still, not all Templars were bad.

The Nuremberg Trials came to mind as I explained all this and felt chilled to the bone. If there was something I learned from Earth history is all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

But I didn't stop with the Templars. I explained how the Rebel Mages were being "indentured" into slavery by a Tevinter Magister, by the name of Alexius Greiron. And the Rebel Mages took it because they have no other option.

"But that's not true!" Kost muttered. "We're an option. Grand Enchanter Fiona even approached us-"

"I suspect she was being controlled." I explained. "Its why when you go to Redcliffe, she won't remember ever having invited you."

"By who?"

"I-… I don't really know. I have my theories but-" We both quieted when we heard distant arguing that got closer. Out first instinct was to hide, quickly followed by peaking around the center statue.

"Is that them?" Kost whispered as he spotted two Templars coming from the docks section of the Summer Bazaar. I only recognized one of them. Delrin Barris. The other I didn't know and was immediately suspicious. I didn't know which Templars were already corrupted. How could I properly warn Barris if one of them was here?

"That's Barris. The other one I don't know who that is."

"Okay. I have more questions about whats happening at Redcliffe but…If we can save some of the Templars from red lyrium, then we should warn them at least." Kost looked at me gratefully. "Thank you for telling me." He added as we both quieted, the argument becoming louder to us.

"It was a waste of our time, Delrin."

"I know, but I only hoped-"

"What? That the Herald would offer you a place alongside Rutherford?"

"I only just wondered if he was truly the Herald of Andraste."

"He's a Qunari, and a mercenary, and a mage. What makes you think he even is an Andrastian, much less a prophet."

"Fletcher, the Chantry does not discriminate."

"I know. But it is very suspicious. The Nightingale spent some time with one of them during the Fifth Blight, this could be-"

"Fletcher. Look."

Kost had stood up tall and proud of his heritage. His shoulders squared and jaw clenched. I stepped to stand next to him to show my support but I was no less ticked off at this Fletcher fellow. Thedosians humans were really prone to prejudice. I guess it was just human nature to find the different dangerous and hate them for no reason other than that they were different, or in this case be very wary of them.

"Herald." Barris was the first to break the uneasy silence between us.

I admit, I was a little worried because these were two Templars. While Kost and I together were one and a half mages. Yes. I was a half, and I was being generous with my capabilities.

"Adaar. My name is Kost Adaar." He spoke through gritted teeth.

I couldn't see his face but based on how tense the two Templars got, it wasn't good.

"Barris. And this is Fletcher." Barris introduced himself, keeping eye contact with Kost. Fletcher on the other hand was looking me up and down suspiciously.

"Mercy." I tried to emulate confidence.

"I understand you wanted to meet with me, though I do not know why." Barris started, taking a step forward.

Kost looked around at the open space around us, as did Barris, seemingly to make sure we were for the most part alone. Then he stepped closer to Barris, while shooting glares at Fletcher. "It wasn't I who called you here but I do want to speak with you."

"If you weren't the one-"

"I did..." This rose their eyebrows, one in curiosity and the other in shock.

"I don't understand-"

"This must be a trick. Mages are dangerous and this one-"

" _Fletcher_." Barris huffed exasperatedly.

"Look, lets get right down to it. I called you here under the guise of the Herald wanting to speak with you, because I know you would see reason, Barris." I stepped close. They were tense but I didn't need anyone who might be listening being able to hear what I was about to say.

Barris gave me a long considering look.

"Have you noticed anything unusual within the ranks of the Order?" Kost asked. At both Barris and Fletcher's uneasy shifting, Kost nodded. "Mercy, tell them..."

"Tell us what?"

"Her vision of the future."

Fletcher scoffed. "Are you attempting to say that not only are you the Herald of Andraste but you have obtained a Seer? Oh the Inquisition does not know its boundaries-"

"Fletcher." Barris pulled aside the other Templar and whispered angrily to him. We were not privy to that conversation but he remained silent, albeit begrudgingly. "I am sorry...but I have heard of Seers, though not of any outside of Rivain."

"I wouldn't really call myself a seer... more of an Oracle. Or a Diviner... I don't know exactly. but if you want to use Seer, then by all means." I shook my head. "I'm getting distracted. the point of the matter is, your lives are in danger and not by mages or the Breach... although the Breach is still high up on danger. But by your superiors in the Order."

Fletcher looked ready to explode in anger, but Barris held his hand up. He looked affronted himself but he took a calming breath. "What evidence do you have?"

"She's a seer. She sees visions of the future. What evidence could she possess that would exist in the present?" Kost reasoned. "At the very least your admission of unusual happenings should be enough."

"But you have no idea of what unusual happenings-"

"Has Lord Seeker Lucius been himself lately? Has he seemed unreasonably fanatical?" I cut in and pressed. "Have you noticed that there are meetings called for your superiors and no one knows why, some even disappearing, never returning from these supposed meetings?"

Barris and Fletcher both paled, looking to each other.

"The Order has always had meetings where those of lower rank are not privy to their contents-"

"But all of them? Especially since the Breach? You'd think information should be shared during these dire times, especially for those in charge of reigning in dangerous magics..." I continued. "I don't want to turn you from the Order, okay. I know what you must think. Mages coming here and telling you of some conspiracy in the Order. But what I'm concerned with is making sure good men, good Templars survive this chaos. And that means warning you of what I know is going to happen."

"And what do you think is going to happen?" This time it was Fletcher who asked. They were both highly suspicious but at least they were open to hearing it.

"Have either of you heard of or seen red lyrium?"

"Red...lyrium?" Barris registered some recognition but he didn't look entirely sure.

"Red Lyrium was found at the Temple of Sacred Ashes, after the explosion at the conclave. It is tainted Lyrium. According to our...expert, it causes delusions and will corrupt you. If you heard what happened to Knight Commander Meredith of Kirkwall, then you know of some of the effects of red lyrium, but that is only being near it. Imagine if you ingest it." Kost said softly, joining us. We were getting closer and closer, aware of how exposed we were.

"Why on Thedas would anyone-"

"You think that's what happened to the Lord Seeker?" Barris interrupted Fletcher, this time staring directly at me.

"Maybe..." I shifted unsure if I should mention the envy demon. "What I do know is, those of superior rank are being given it. And that is why they keep disappearing."

"Why would they have to disappear?"

Barris, Fletcher, and Kost looked to me for explanations.

"Because when you ingest it, for any length of time red lyrium starts growing inside of you and breaks through your skin maybe even replaces your skin. But it replaces parts of you and you will become monstrous horrors. The transformation is not pleasant or gentle, or...undoable." I thought back to Patrice and the way her eye had been replaced by the red lyrium crystals, the feel of it growing and shifting inside of her as I desperately tried to heal her. I covered my mouth in disgust and horror at the memory. I eyed Barris, imagining him as the creatures I had seen in my visions. The hulking horror he could become and fighting the Herald when Haven is attacked.

"You sound like you have first hand experience viewing this." Barris appeared sympathetic.

"I do. unfortunately. It was not pleasant to watch so I can only imagine what the pain of actually going through it would be like. I would not wish that on my worst enemy."

The silence was interrupted by a whine. A whine, that the others didn't hear and only I reacted to. But they were too busy letting this information settle. Kost had shifted closer to me and placed a sympathetic hand on my shoulder. Yet they didn't here that whine.

I shifted to see Cole perched on the fountain. He was looking toward the entrance. "Someone is coming." He said.

Again, no one but me heard him.

I faced the entrance but there was no one there. "I think, someone is coming." I said slowly.

"I don't hear anything."

There was an uneasy feeling in the air, like something or someone was wrong.

"I think we should hide." I hissed. The wrong feeling got stronger and stronger. It tugged at my senses, scraping the surface tension and making me hyper aware of everything around me. I began walking back, pulling away until I heard a distant voice and footsteps echoing around the bazaar. I dashed toward a darkened alcove.

Cole puffed into existence by a door. "In here." He mouthed to me. I scrambled my way there but the door was locked. Cole stooped low and whispered something to the lock. It flung open in my haste to get inside, behind some walls and hide from whatever-whoever was coming.

"Mercy!" Kost hissed behind me, questioning. I turned back around and grabbed Kost's arm and with a strength I didn't know I had and yanked him into the closed shop. Behind him were Delrin and Fletcher, bewildered but also with suspicious glances toward where the wrongness was coming.

"What is that?" Fletcher began but I shushed him.

I gently began closing the door behind him just as I felt dread settle into the pit of my stomach, churning and making me feel like I was going to vomit. Just as the door was about to click shut I got a glimpse of familiar red lyrium armor on a black haired man and wanted to faint.

 _Samson_.

"Fuck... fuck. fuck." I muttered against the door.

"What is it?" Kost's voice asked from the dark.

"Don't use any magic. None. At all." I warned Kost. It was dark and the only light came from the opened high windows in the back of the shop. There were other windows that opened out into the bazaar. There was just enough gap in the slats that you could see. So I did, fearfully I stepped up to it and peaked out.

"Mercy-"

"Be quiet." I whispered lowly to Kost and pointed out through the shutters. Delrin and Fletcher were already looking out.

"I know that man." Barris whispered. "Rayleigh Samson, he was discharged from the Order-"

"For supposedly being sympathetic to mages. When really it was because he was exchanging love letters for a mage in the Kirkwall circle, and was caught." I felt my mouth go dry as Samson wasn't alone. Next to him was Lord Seeker Lucius, or supposedly the Lord Seeker. The same flickering green light coming off him. I stepped back, remembering Cole's words.

"What is the Lord Seeker-" Fletcher needed to bring his voice down. I pressed a finger to my lips and glowered at him.

"That...is not the Lord Seeker."

"What do you mean?" Barris asked.

"Why would the Lord Seeker associate with a former Templar who is currently drinking red lyrium?" I seethed.

"Is that…" Barris questioned. I didn't need to know what he referred to. Templars could sense magic, could sense lyrium. That was very bad lyrium. I nodded solemnly.

"I thought you said you become monstrosities if you ingest it?"

"Samson... is an exception to the rule. A very _dangerous_ exception."

The world was unraveling around me. What in the fucking void was Samson doing in Val Royeaux? None of this made any lick of sense. Why was he here? Of all places?! Is it because the Templars had been here? Were here?

I looked to Barris and Fletcher who were watching out the window with unease. Had I drawn Samson here by asking to meet with Barris?

"Mercy..." Kost cried. I turned to snap at him to be quiet but he was gripping his left hand. The mark flaring wildly and noisily. I wanted to faint. That _thing_ inside of the Lord Seeker or masquerading as the him would surely sense it! I fretted over his hand, trying to silence it by covering it. Kost was gritting his teeth and then he was on his knees.

No... no! It'll be able to sense it!

Barris came up on us, giving the mark a wide berth. I eyed the flaming shield on his armor. "Can Templars sense each other's smites and purges?" I queried.

"Not unless we are looking for it an absence of magic, it is not our first priority-why?"

"I'm going to soothe this... but I need you to purge or smite or... something to get rid of the magic in me almost immediately after I do it. We _can't_ be found by them."

Barris and I stared each other down, me pleading and him perturbed. "Alright."

I turned back to Kost, his mark somehow getting even more wild. This was the worst idea in the existence of bad ideas crossed with insurmountably terrible ideas to get you killed but I needed to do something. If that thing could sense me, it could surely sense the mark. And the mark was basically a power source, right?

Let's hope so.

I closed my eyes and using my hand as the medium cast my senses directly at the anchor.

It was bright, blinding and brilliant but it was warm and full and powerful, so _very_ powerful. I poured myself toward it, trying to direct the magic flow from the flaring pain it was but as I touched it, it filled me. Surging and beating to get inside me, clawing and scratching and swirling, and ripping. Something tore and it felt like being knocked back by a train, a bus, and a plane all at once. It was infinite and finite, it was good and bad, light and dark. It was the Fade, the Veil, the Void and Magic and it was all at once awesome. At least until the screaming started in my head.

I had only wanted to soothe the pain, direct it elsewhere or even take it from Kost yet things rarely go as I plan.

* * *

 **NOTES** : I had notes for this chapter to explain some things but decided to leave the mystery there until next time. Plus I'm more interested in hearing your theories. So do share! I so love reading them. You guys are awesome!

 **5 Coloured Walker** : Oooh. Yeah sorry. maybe I should have posted the Update first and then let loose the metaphorical flood gates. Oh well, it's done. But I am glad I got Bull down. I struggled with him for a long time. Almost like how I'm currently struggling with Leliana right now.

 **METALHELLSPWN** : I had actually sent you a private message about this. Originally wasn't going to use the song but as I was listening and listening to the music it just fit for what I wanted and I couldn't believe it at first. So I do have to thank you for that suggestion, it came exactly when i needed it because I was struggling with that scene and what song to use. So thank you!

 **Mental Verin** : Oh man, devils food and cake, yum! If I hadn't just baked cookies I would totally bake some cake now, thanks to you. I'm glad you enjoyed Cole's scenes. Honestly with Cole I feel the need to be very _very_ innocent like, but at the same time I realize Cole isn't innocent or a Child and is very much into helping people so I try to stay on course for him. Also, my _original_ outline for the Zither-Mercy reconciliation had a lot a "mature" part in the outline. It literally said "Mercy reconciles with Zither in garden with singing, Mercy is a maker-damned exhibitionist." Originally the scene was supposed to be in the garden but I was going over some of the Zither banter and he mentions his harpsichordist named Edmond and I decided to have that be included. So, I'm glad he's being received well. And the "mature' part got cut because it just wasn't flowing well.


	71. Audacity

My body was torn raw, open and exposed. The touch and feel of the anchor battered against my aura, battered against my spirit, battered against me. My lips smacked shut and teeth clenched against each other as the taste of copper filled my mouth, a tangy scent flooded my nose. I coughed, blood splattering from my mouth, spurting from my nose and leaking from my ears. I blinked, staring up at Kost, pleading and begging for help but my eyes began to tear. My vision obscured and darkened but not by loss of consciousness. By blood. I wiped at my face, my hands coming away stained iridescent blood. There was no magic in my blood. I coughed more.

Kost was panicking, his eyes wide and fearful. Their golden hues swallowed up by his pupils and gazing down at me. I felt a tug and I gazed at his left hand. The anchor was a swirling vortex of green that reached out into the world and drew magic, concentrating it into one single point. Where was it drawing from? I didn't know but I could sense it was drawing from places and people. Just past the anchor was Kost's aura, bright and visible and not because he was casting magic. It was just there; I could see it with no effort. It did not flicker, it did not shimmer but it was over his skin, green and blue twirling into each other. Just underneath his aura was his glow. It had yellow undertones gleaming and magenta veins over the filmy green but it was not sickly red but it was something. It meant something. It connected to his skin and horns.

Then there was Barris and Fletcher. Each of them glowed electric blue and cyan, the colors of lyrium. It was bright and shining. Their glow shifted and darkened and strokes of indigo, veins of viridian burst around them and then it was bright and yellow, pulsing back to lyrium blue and sometimes the color of grass and a yellow brightness but they were always always blue. It swirled and bled around them. They were Templars. Good Templars. Untainted by red lyrium, completely and utterly pure of the blight infected lyrium. And I knew this, I knew this as soon as I looked at them.

All three drew closer and I inched backward. Their blues and yellows spread around them, reaching tendrils out and touching me. Their glows bled into the world, into me and I could not avoid it as I swallowed it up. It filled me, like the mark had. I flung backwards away from them. It was too much and too fast. All of this magic and lyrium. I could feel it pulsing around me and drawing closer to me, grasping for me. All of life around me had magic. It was connected to each other, to the ambient magic, to the veil, to the fade. Everything had energy and life and was connected.

I scrambled backwards but a wetness between my thighs left streaks of blood on my gown and pooled at my feet. I slipped, falling over. I pushed back, the blood streaking as I moved.

"Mercy what happened? Why are you-"

"She's losing too much blood, she'll surely pass out."

My body was battered, drained and sore. It was beaten down by magic clawing and forcing its way in. Sound rushed back to me, thumping against my eardrums. The screaming was calming, only I could hear a small whimpering. I tried to tune it out, focusing on Kost, watching him draw back and the Templar, no Templar Barris drew closer. He was concerned. His tendrils of lyrium reaching for me.

"Smite her, like she asked." Kost pleaded.

No no don't do that! It will be worse!

I wanted to say but I gasped and coughed.

 _Breathe_. A raspy voice muttered. I swiveled my sight around. Who said that? Was that me? Who was that? Her voice was eerily familiar. Where had I heard her before?

 _Breathe. You need to breathe._

Who are you?

 _BREATHE!_

My vision was losing focus but I took a breath and though more blood spurted out, I felt calmer. I took another breath and another, deep rattling wheezing breaths but breaths nonetheless. I lay down on the floor, acutely aware of the wrongness beyond the walls. The red lyrium swirling sick and death sent nausea through me and the Envy demon twisted and was corrupted by everything around it. The two foul beings moved closer to the building, faster and faster.

No No! Go away. STAY AWAY!

 _Turn Away._

A purple tendril of magic lashed out, powered by the yellow and blue reaching further and further. The red and dark glow and the twisted flicking green turned away.

 _There is no one here._

Further and further away they moved until I could no longer sense them. We were safe, for now. I turned back to Kost but I spotted Cole. He glowed green too but there was a purple spark close to his chest, swirling pleasantly and pulsing around him, drawing him to me, connecting him to me. My green aura expanded but it wasn't just green, it was purple and pink stretching out toward Cole as he got closer. He phased through Barris who now hovered over me, his lyrium glow became brighter.

Cole crouched by me, his hand gentle as he touched my forehead. My purple aura mingled with his pulsing and shimmering. It was indigo, purple and magenta flickering and caressing Cole's center. I was gentle, soft, warm and welcoming Compassion closer to me.

Cole covered my eyes just Barris's lyrium glow burst forward and into me.

* * *

I snapped awake in a bed, gasping and as my too sore body ached and my vision swam forcing me back down. My gown had been removed and I wore nothing. Naked as ever and exposed save for a single thin sheet. A glowing green hand hovered over my abdomen. It was Solas. His eyes were closed and he looked to be concentrating until I shifted.

"You're awake." He was matter of fact.

The room was bathed in darkness but streams of afternoon light managed their way in around the curtains, bouncing off the metallic accents. The hearth was lit. I was back in the apartments.

"Yes-" I coughed, rasping and there was a splattering of tangy taste in my mouth again. A cool hand touched my throat, and Solas peered at me. He gazed into my eyes with an intensity I swear he only ever showed for Lavellan in the game. It was inquisitive, searching and all together disbelieving.

My throat was soothed by his touch.

"What… happened?" I croaked.

"You attempted to draw the mark's power from Kost and were ill-equipped to handle it's power so instead you connected with it." Solas explained. "As you can see, that ended poorly."

"I thought all living things had magic and were connected. Wouldn't I already have been connected in some way?"

"They are. But for you, that appears to not be the case." Solas spoke. "You claim your world has no magic but I believe your world does have magic, though markedly different than ours. I have studied you these past few weeks."

"What… you've been studying me?" I yanked up the blanket, feeling self-conscious of my nudity under it. "And you didn't tell me? You didn't even get my permission?!" This screamed secret government surveillance, only in this case it was secret surveillance done by an Elvhen God. What next? Has he been experimenting on me?!

"You misunderstand, I have only studied what I could see. Both as we traveled and whenever you should enter the Fade, such as now." Solas explained, unbothered by my outburst.

I blinked and looked around us. "We're in the Fade?"

"For however long you wish it." At my confused look he continued. "You do not enter the fade every time you sleep, unlike most. I surmised you must be receptive to entering the fade. Otherwise you would simply behave like a dwarf as you slept."

"So… you're saying I pick and choose when I enter the fade when I'm asleep?"

"Correct."

This felt a lot like sitting in front of a professor, only in the worse way because I was naked. "Why am I naked?" Almost at that thought clothes appeared on me. Normal clothes, Earth clothes. More specifically jeans and a t-shirt. I flung the blanket off and gazed at them in shock. Jeans, and they felt like jeans! Soft denim never felt so nice against my skin. But this was the fade. They weren't real.

"Woah."

"Is that adequate? I used the few memories I was able to observe." Solas said as the world shifted around us.

Tall metal beams and glossy windowed towers and skyscrapers took shape around us, reaching tall and blocking the sun in chunks of squares. Streets, cars, parks and people took form around us and shapeless faceless people zipped around in crowds, timed to the walk and stop signals on every corner.

This was... this was New York City. Specifically, just outside Central Park. I glowered at Solas as he quirked a brow. Watch out NSA, Solas can perform surveillance better than a team of your agents.

"Exactly how many memories of mine have you observed." I felt tense as Solas interacted with a fade shape that resembled a dog. No... a wolf. I narrowed my eyes as he pet it.

"Only a few." He said neutrally but there was a lift in his smile. Was he teasing me? Mocking me?

" _Right_. A few." I huffed and stretched out. If this was the fade, why did I still feel sore? "What did you learn while sleep creeping on my dreams?"

"I learned much of your world. Cities, towns, your kind's technology." He mused as the world shifted and we were in central park, time slowed as I watched indistinct figures playing with their pets or lounging on the grass. One figure was in detail. Me. I was drawing and then came my then girlfriend, Vicky with a brightly wrapped box.

This was my birthday. I remember this. I watched as I looked around before giving Vicky a kiss and she laughed at my shyness, telling me to open my present. A single white box with a very distinct red dragon on it made me freeze. That was Origins. Oh fuck. I froze in horror as Solas stepped forward. Central Park disappeared and now we were in my rundown apartment at the time and I was playing. Solas peeked at the laptop screen, and then at me over the lid.

"It was wise of you to have kept the... _interactive_ parts a secret, though you will have to do a much better job of convincing the others, particularly the Spymaster." Solas didn't look the least bit peeved, in fact he found it amusing.

"You're not... offended?"

"Why? I find it fascinating that your kind was able to accurately predict events in our world and yet they used it as a method to entertain. To them, and much of their... _audience_ it was simply a story... a _game_. How narrow minded your people must be to not see the potential. " His eyes met mine. He was not angry, yet somehow I couldn't help but think how wrongly this could go. "It is a pity your kind do not see the potential." Solas muttered and with a wave of his hand the scenery changed.

He was taking a dig at Earth folk, I know it. But what could I do? He now had everything, all the knowledge of the future that I knew. I covered my face.

"Unfortunately, this was the last memory I could access."

The world reformed around us. Another memory and one I fretted over. It was the last one Solas said he could view. Was it one of me playing Inquisition? I hoped not. Please… please don't let it be that one.

The memory was at night in a street I was faintly familiar with. Neon signs glowed advertising happy hour, five dollar drinks and most importantly strip clubs. It was a sweltering summer night and I watched the memory of myself tossed out of one particular strip club, _The Church._ I was in a skimpy outfit with barely strapped on brassiere and my hair was half pinned up into two pigtails, one pigtail undone and makeup heavy.

Solas wasn't even watching the memory, he was watching me for my reaction.

"I thought there was a no touching rule, Bobby!" My memory self hissed at the owner as he tossed my bag and coat out. My memory self hastily grabbed the coat and pulled it on.

"That doesn't give you license to hit him." Bobby, the owner growled. "That's the fourth time. I've had it up to here Mercy. You're done."

"What… done?"

"Yes done. You're always pissy, you look unhappy when you dance, you don't drink with our customers. If that wasn't enough, you're fat and your tits are too small. You're _done_."

"Bobby… wait wait. No You don't understand I _need_ this job."

"I don't give a flying fuck."

"What am I supposed to do about rent?"

"Do I look like I give a fuck?"

Heat burned into my cheeks at the implications of this memory.

"You feel shame?" Solas asked. He wasn't judging but he quirked an eyebrow up.

"Of course I feel shame… I… did that kind of work because I had to. And even in my world it wasn't a job that was looked well upon." I explained as I turned my back on the memory. The memory played out, with me going back to my rundown apartment, only to be evicted. My only possessions shoved into a bag and I walked to an internet café where I sat there, playing Dragon Age 2 when I should have been applying for jobs. I wasn't a smart person, even then.

The memory stopped, frozen with my memory self drinking a latte.

"But you had a desire to work in such an establishment?"

"No!" I snapped. "If I'd had a choice I wouldn't have stepped foot into a strip club! I would never ever choose to dance around half naked for money!"

"What about for other's entertainment?"

My cheeks flushed as the memory changed, this time one on Thedas. The one where I earned the nickname Boots. I didn't even have to see myself to know how I flaunted and strutted wantonly.

"That's not… I was drunk. Drugged…" I muttered.

"Of that I have no doubt. But was your intoxication the only thing that made you behave as such?" Solas questioned.

"What are you insinuating?"

"Our first encounter, I believed you were a spirit." Solas spoke.

"Yes and then when you actually met me, you accused me of being possessed. What's your point?" Solas sure loved to hear himself talk and he was beating around the bush now. Why did he show me memories of me behaving brazenly?

"Remember I said your world has magic but it is different than ours. In your world it has no way or means to express itself, so it internalizes. It becomes a creative force. Hence your world's advancement in technology, art, medicine."

I rolled my eyes. "So you're saying my world's magic is imagination?" What was this an after school special?

"Yes." He said pleased I caught on before continuing. "And the will to see it be created. Your people have a remarkable ability to visualize and actualize without more traditional means of magic. You simply create with your hands what you see in your mind's eye. It is similar to how mages create. Mages are capable of the same lengths of creativity as your artists are; as you are."

"So it's…creation magic?"

"Not quite." Solas tapped his chin. "Your world… Earth." He tested the name of my home planet. "Earth Creativity is and is not magic. On Earth it is not magic, it is simply being creative. But here on this plane of existence it becomes it's own form of magic. Your skills as an artist and your natural born talent of being able to wield magic come together. However as you are earth born, you have no natural magic in you."

"Okay."

"And then when you arrived on you were submerged in magic. Slowly at first as you were surrounded primarily by non-mages and non-magical beings." Solas explained. "You became an empty cup in an ocean of magic, floating and occasionally being filled with water. But you were clumsy and could not spill the water back out except in large droves. Am I right to assume that your first display of magic, you became unconscious?"

This was odd. "How did you know that?" I questioned but he spoke over me, a gleam in his eyes. Confidence as he paced and theorized.

"You were unused to magic, as was your body. As you still are. However, your unrestrained use of magic drew attention." Solas took a step closer to me. "From the fade. They drew you into the fade, multiple times to learn about you."

"Solas, I'm not fucking possessed. We've been over this." I snapped at Fen'harel, gritting my teeth.

"You are correct. You are not possessed, but you are void of natural magic. Even if your Earth magic allowed you to will magic into what you wanted, you would be unable to control it with any strength of sophistication with how much magic you collected, ambient magic or otherwise. The magic would have consumed you. So you drew a conductor, a _back seat driver_ as your people would say."

The memory changed back to the internet café.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you have a passenger you didn't even know about. It would be wise if they left you." He paused as though waiting for some kind of reaction.

"Solas… _Fen'harel._ I am not fucking possessed. Get it through your bald egg head!" I shouted at Solas, ticked off.

 _Hah. Couldn't have said it better myself._

Solas gave me a smug grin and turned toward the memory version of me sitting at the table.

 _Only, I'm afraid he is partially correct._

My memory self, thing… closed the lid of the laptop and met my gaze. Her eyes black and purple, nails elongated like black talons and two protruding horns out of my blonde hair.

"Good evening, Dread Wolf." It-she spoke.

"Audacity," Solas greeted her now fully turned to her.

I knew that voice, I remember it. _You are a hard one. But so powerful… You called to me. I only answered and gave you what you desired. I will do better this time._ But that had been almost four months ago. "How?"

"How indeed."

* * *

 **Notes:** I rewrote this chapter four bloody times but eventually settled on this...mess. I needed Solas to at first not make sense, hopping around waiting for Mercy to connect the dots but Mercy isn't very smart like that. And I cut it off here, to be in my typical cliffhanger manner.

This was a long planned plot arc that I have been developing so hard and we're here at the reveal! And holy crap I'm looking back at all the other plot arcs I've set up and we've got a long road ahead of us guys. I promise I will try to keep it a fun read.

I kept bouncing around on the name of Mercy's "passenger," but I settled on Audacity in the last minute because I remembered there is an audio program called Audacity. I had a good long laugh and cursed myself for not thinking of it sooner. The other names I was going to use was Ardor or Confidence. Audacity is not quite a demon but also not quite a spirit due to how she came to be Mercy's "passenger." There will be more explanations about this and Mercy's magic next chapter.

 **Next Chapter Teaser:** Oh great… A creepy Elvhen God ogled my unconscious naked body and all I got was this blanket. Now that is some achievement Solasmancers would love back on Earth.

 **METALHELLSPWN** : Darn! I should have used that quote instead. But good use and it does perfectly describe what happened.

 **Ninjagirl2211** : Many scary things happened just then. And many more scary things are happening to Mercy right this second.

 **Mental Verin** : An itch in your what... IN YOUR WHAT? I think your review got cut in half. But I'm glad you like the suspense. I try to leave things on a cliffhanger whenever possible.

 **5 Coloured Walker** : Leliana is SO HARD to write. I still have a few chapters to go before I have to figure it out. But I'm glad you have confidence in my ability! I will endeavor to live up to your confidence.


	72. When Skies Are Grey

There was a three-way stare off between us. Solas, Me and Audacity, only I think Audacity and Solas were less than concerned over me as they barely gave me a glance but I was gobsmacked, staring at the being that had been a desire demon when I met it. I was sure I had toasted her, engulfed her in flames and killed her but she was here, standing alive still. And it was now… a sub pride demon? Could spirits do that? Could they go from one thing to another? Change their very essence? What they are?

 _That's what concerns you? How my essence changed?_

What the-!

"How are you doing that?"

But before she could answer Solas stepped into my field of vision. "Mercy, you must expel her. Break free from her influence. She is a _demon_ , corrupted by-"

"By what? By me being human?" I snapped at Solas and stepped around him but also glaring at this supposed demon by the name of Audacity. "And you…" I jabbed a finger at her. "I destroyed you. With _fire_ in the fade. How are you even still…" I didn't even know how to describe it. Here? Alive?

"Existing?" She quirked an eyebrow at me and grinned as my teeth grit tightly. My growl echoed around us as she stood up, languidly stretched and letting loose her-my hair. Why did she even look like me? Didn't demons have their own appearance? I distinctly remember she even looked like a desire demon last I encountered her. Audacity gave me a smile, sharp teeth glinting between my-her lips and she gave a huff of a laugh. Solas placed a hand on my shoulder to stop me from getting closer to her. I hadn't even realized I had started moving toward her. "You did not destroy me."

"But-"

"One does not simply destroy a demon into nonexistence." Solas began explaining. I rolled my eyes. Okay Professor Fade Nerd. "When you kill a demon or a spirit their magic, their very being, essence and energies return back to the fade and they may-"

"-reform into another spirit. If the memories of them are powerful enough they may even reform into a similar spirit." I finished, remembering the spirit of wisdom that is – will be killed and how Solas described-will describe how they could return but they wouldn't be the same. Similar yes but never the same.

"Yes." Solas's brows rose in shock at my knowledge. "Where did you learn that?"

"From you." I deadpanned and he furrowed his brows. "But… I know I killed her. She shouldn't remember the encounter we had right? Or…can she?" Right? This was making my head hurt. The fade is a weird place.

Audacity stepped toward us, her head tilting as she made eye contact with me. Her black eyes burned into my own. Solas pulled me further behind him with a glare her way. "You absorb ambient magic around you. In living things, humans, elves, dwarves, qunari. Even in the fauna and flora, you absorb magic from them."

"Yes. I'm a god damn power sponge. I got that." I snapped at Solas.

 _Careful Delsin._ Audacity teased. I glared at her. How did she know who _Delsin Rowe_ was?

"And when you killed her, you dispersed her energy around you." Solas continued, unaware of the silent exchanges between the demon and I.

"So… you're saying I absorbed her?" Her grin was all the answer I needed. I gulped, feeling sick. "I can absorb demons?!" A lump rose in my throat and my breath quickened.

"Not just demons. Spirits as well." Solas's voice was distant. He looked opaque and had turned away from both of us, his eyes glowing white as he his mouth moved. "I am speaking to her in the fade, Herald."

Herald? He was talking to Kost? Solas can be in the fade and speak to people outside of it at the same time? I gaped as Solas's form became more opaque, barely there anymore. His mouth moved but I could hear nothing as he spoke. I shook my head. One thing at a time. I pulled away from Solas and stepped to the demon or… spirit?

"If I absorbed you how are you... here?"

"I am merely a projection. Something I could not do until you became aware."

"Aware?"

"The more magic you have at your disposal the more aware you become." She explained simply.

"So the longer I go without using magic-"

"The more magic you can sense. But as the Dread Wolf said, too much magic and your body would not be able to sustain it. Likewise if you use too much magic too fast, you will be unable to withstand the effects. I believe you are familiar with the consequences." Audacity peered at her talons lazily.

"You mean the nosebleeds? I thought those were because of the visions?" I questioned.

"Your visions are another matter."

"What do you mean another matter? Tell me!" I growled and went to grab at her but she side stepped me easily, pulling me against her chest and keeping my arms pressed to my chest tight.

"Your visions are tied to the fade. The Breach has weakened the veil. Perhaps you should ask the Peacock once you meet him. He may know more. I am not a spirit of Wisdom." She murmured into my ear, her hot tongue licking up the length of my neck and then let me go. "You should thank me."

"Thank you?! I've been possessed by you!" I snapped. "I did not even give you permission! You shouldn't be here!"

"And you think I gave permission to be stuck inside you? With the barest chance of escape?!" Audacity's eyes narrowed and she mimicked my growl. "Trapped within the confines of your mind and body."

"You-You made me behave like a slut!"

"I made you behave true to yourself. I controlled the flow of your magic to your will, to do as you wanted. I have been your conductor, your magical composer. I gave you purpose! I made you useful. Without me… it would have consumed you. You would be dead without me." She inched closer and closer until her talons scrapped up my arms and settled on my shoulders, gently. "I've protected you." Her voice turned sweet and gentle, almost like a lullaby.

"Protected me?" I couldn't look away from her gaze.

"Yes. Not just you…" _Your memories as well._

My memories?

 _From him._ Audacity gave a coy grin. We were the same height and yet I felt smaller in her presence. I felt like a child, needing her guidance.

"If… you protected me then why didn't you stop me from touching the mark?" I yanked away from her, wary of whatever influence she might have on me now, stumbling back. "If too much magic can consume me why didn't you stop me? I was in pain and… there was blood. And someone… was screaming? Was that you?"

Her purple and black eyes softened and for a moment she looked regretful. "I will admit this. I wanted more magic."

"So you didn't protect me!"

"Be silent, child!" The horns seemed to grow longer and her eyes flashed. "The longer I remained inside you, the more influence my nature has. And not always within my control or for the better."

"What do you mean?"

"It is why I appear as I do now. A mirror of you." She stepped toward me again, her expression somber. "The longer I am within you, the longer I become you. And you become me. We are becoming one."

One? No. Possessed I can handle but this.

"Soon we will be unable to discern where you begin or where I end."

Just like Anders and Justice. I was an abomination.

"Fret not, dear Mercy." Her knuckle traced down my cheek and I pressed back against the wall of the café. Audacity caged me in and leaned forward. "Your body requires natural magic to survive on Thedas. My absorption and existence is beneficial to your survival. But I will cease to be the longer I am within you. It is why I make you _see_. I will not always be here to guide you, to warn you, to protect you. You need to learn of what you will face, to control your magic and your visions so when the veil is-"

" _Enough_!" A glowing green hand tore Audacity away from me. Solas's form now fully back, his eyes bright white and glowing as he forced her away from me and drew me back. The world swirled around us with no shape or any reason to it. It was chaotic as Audacity cackled. "Mercy, expel her _now_. She has influenced you into doing things you did not wish to do. Your machinations these past few weeks, nay I would say the past few months have all been in part due to her. Break free of her sedition!"

Past few months? Did she alter how I behaved with the others? With Kost? Bull? Pellane… Even Alon?

"Oh... Solas, you give me far too much credit. She wanted to do it. She repressed her wishes and when she took me into herself I became what she lacked, what she needed, what she _desired_. I gave myself to her and so much more." Audacity smirked as she drew back.

This was too much. I wanted to wake up. I needed to wake up from this terrible dream.

 _You can't expel me. You need me._

"Mercy!" Solas was screaming but I couldn't see him anymore. When had he disappeared again?

 _Even if you wanted to…_

I want to get rid of you. You should leave!

 _I wish I could but my only exit is all but gone now._

What does that mean?

 _Wake up._

* * *

I woke up in bed again, as before but with my legs propped up and a thin sheen of sweat coating me. It was still dark out. My chest and body heaved. I became aware of someone touching me in my privates. My head swam as I looked down. An elderly woman sat on a stool, her apron covered in blood and the sound of flesh hitting porcelain as her hands dug inside me. Something… convulsed and contracted inside me and I screeched from the pain. I tried to push away but my hands and legs were tied to the bed preventing me from moving. I squirmed, my torso arched up and I sobbed.

"There there, child. The pain will be over soon as the afterbirth is out." The elderly woman cooed.

Afterbirth?

"What…happened?" I cried.

"Mercy? You're back?" Kost, was to my left and jumped off the crate he'd been sitting on. His brow furrowed in worry and his eyes wide with panic. He heaved a sigh and went to untie my hands. Solas, to my right, stopped Kost and looked down at me. His gray eyes harsh as he examined me and his hand glowed over my chest. The only barrier between my naked body and the two mages was a thin sheet that stuck to my sweaty body.

"What are you doing! Untie me… what happened?" I struggled against my binds, shaking. "Untie me!" My voice trembled and whimpered. _Chains rattling and the fire blinded me as the whip slashed at my back._ I gasped, crying. "Untie me!" I was sobbing now.

"That doesn't sound like the…" Kost's voice lowered. "...the demon. I think it's safe."

Solas stared at me, tears tracking down my cheeks. "I cannot tell if it has vacated her."

"Teeth gritting leather, the smell of copper and blood. The blade sings in the air, he gasps. It was too bright, too hot." Cole's voice muttered as my tears leaked. "Tied up, stripped, lashed, whipped, broken, bleeding. I am lesser. I must obey. _I'll make him pay._ " The spirit of Compassion mimicked my words. "He can't hurt you anymore. He's gone."

"Cole…" Solas's brows furrowed even more and there was a flash of guilt as I bared my teeth. Kost however did not wait. His face pale and his eyes tearing up.

His fingers undid the ropes on my hands and I sobbed, hands covering my face. "Mercy I'm sorry, you were shaking and we had to restrain you to help you. I-I didn't know-" He gulped and tried to touch me but I curled further into myself, blanket yanked up.

I rebuffed their attempts to look at me. Murmurs and silent footsteps gave way to silence except for my sobs and sniffles. I couldn't tell you how long that lasted as the pain in my abdomen began to dull the passing of time. My muscles contracting and pushing dead flesh out made me cry harder, even as the elderly woman rose and my legs were stretched out after they were untied. I was too sore to move, tired and still sniffling by that point.

The room was empty save for Cole and the elderly woman now. Solas and Kost had left. I looked down to see her pouring water and wiping me clean.

"What happened?" I questioned quietly. She was older, and looked tired. Given how late it must be, I didn't blame her. But I didn't care. I was exhausted and I wanted to sleep to get away from this nightmare. But I had questions, more questions than answers.

"I am terribly sorry to say this, child. But you miscarried." He continued cleaning me.

"I gathered… I gathered that much." I sighed. "But how… how did I even get pregnant?"

She looked up at me, brows rose. "If you don't know how then I fear you may be in worse shape than I thought. Surely your mother explained when a man-"

"No…No… Oh god, I know how… I just. I took every precaution." I pressed my fingers to my temples. "I-I used a spell. I drank teas."

The elderly woman tutted and shook her head. "Clearly the maker wanted you to bear a child, or did… a loss pregnancy is always a tragedy. I am sorry."

I scoffed. Fuck the Maker and whatever plans he had.

"You may not want to, but it will be best if we remove your dress now."

"Fine…" I let her do what she needed. The dress removed and she gave my lethargic body a wipe down and then dressed me in a simple white tunic. There was water and she checked me over completely. She told me about the pain I would experience through the rest of the night and the next few weeks. As well as the weakness I would be feeling and the general tenderness and leaking as I had been a few months along.

A few months. I didn't even need to think about who the father was…had been. I felt tears come to me again but I was exhausted and physically and magically drained.

Alon.

If I had stayed with the Blades… would this have happened? Would I still… have lost the baby? Probably not. I wouldn't have been anywhere near the anchor, or any dangerous situations. I contained a sob, waiting for the midwife to leave.

Only when the door closed did I let myself continue crying. I didn't sob because I could hear voices from out in the hall. They were whispered and hushed, no doubt to let me rest. I was almost curious but I turned onto my side. Cole was crouched on the floor and his hand on top of mine. I had nearly forgotten the Spirit was there.

"Cole…"

"It would have happened anyway. It isn't your fault. There or here, you would have lost him. Only here… only you know. He doesn't." Cole offered, trying to comfort me.

He was…right. But could I really keep this to myself? The existence of my failed pregnancy from Alon? I didn't even want to think how he would handle that knowledge but I knew he cared for me far more than I could for him. It would be better if he never found out.

"Frail…"

"I will make him forget." Cole said matter of fact.

I should feel bad, using Cole like this. But it was for the best. Alon can't find out. It would, I had a feeling it would break him and he'd blame himself for not insisting I stay with him. Or worse… he'd come riding out to meet me.

"Thank you Cole." I gripped his hand. "Do you sleep?" I managed to not sniffle.

"No."

"Oh…" I closed my eyes but then Cole pulled his hand away. I watched as he removed his hat and gently, with far too much care set it on a crate and then his shoes came off, with whispered words to his laces. Then he lay down, stiffly on top of the blanket, without me saying anything. He placed his hand on top of mine again and stared off into the world.

I broke into tears again, and I had no reason why. I risked the slight discomfort and curled closer to Cole, needing to feel someone there. Knowing someone cared, that someone knew everything I was feeling. Later I would realize how wrong this was. How I was using him, but for now I just wanted someone to be there. Even if it was a spirit.

I wasn't ignoring the spirit or demon inside me, I just don't think I was able to handle two nightmares in reality at once. One thing at a time. Not that Audacity forgot about me.

 _You are my sunshine._

Audacity's voice sang to me. I knew where she got that memory from but she clearly didn't understand the depths to how painful that song is.

"My only sunshine." Cole's words echoed the song. It seemed Cole didn't understand either but he was trying.

 _You make me happy._

"When skies are grey." Cole continued softly, not quite getting the tune. My chest tightened but the tears lessened.

 _You never know, dear, how much I love you_

"Please don't take my sunshine away." Compassion's muted and almost monotonous tone was somewhat soothing. But the voice in my head singing echoed my anguish. It hurt worse but here, with Cole. It will get better. It will.

* * *

 **METALHELLSPWN** : Yes! Correct! Audacity is a dagger. Oh yeah, Solas is a schemer afterall. He finds out someone who feels like a spirit but is from another world is around? No way is he not going to watch over her, make sure she doesn't _interfere_. Do you really feel Varric with regards to this fic?! Man that is a seriously great compliment! I appreciate it. Thank you! Hopefully this chapter's revelations also made you feel like that.

 **5 Coloured Walker** : I like the connection but this Audacity is not the same as the Pride Demon named Audacity from DA2. Though it was not a complete coincidence I chose that name. As for whether it leaves...well hopefully this chapter shed light on that.

 **Mental Verin** : Correct! Audacity isn't necessary a sin or virtue which is one of the things I wanted for her "passenger" or "conductor." and I will refrain from revealing more information about her visions.

 **GreaterGoodIreland** : YES SHE DID! It will come back to bite her in the rear end eventually.

 **SNicole25** : Not quite! But close.


	73. Unrelenting Force

"What did you do to her?" Frail's arm outstretched as far as it would go to poise the dagger below Kost's chin; he stood on his pointed tip toes pointed as he reached up to the larger Qunari. The small rogue, while even in his bed clothes, had a sheath strapped to his leg where the dagger had originated, showing he was always prepared. Of course who knew how many more law hidden beneath the loose tunic and trousers.

Kost stumbled away from the smaller man, sagging back against the wall as he caught the protective and worried look in those large dark violet eyes. Frail bared his teeth and furrowed his brows, his knuckles growing white. Frail's choppy brown hair was disheveled as he'd all but sprung out of bed the moment Mercy's screams echoed up the apartments.

"N-Nothing!" The herald stammered out, as he held his hands aloft to show he meant no harm. He worried his lip to bleeding and his eyes panicked as he kept looking toward the door, wishing he was back in the room with Mercy. At least then he wouldn't be subjected to the suspicion by her adopted brother who appeared to be unfazed by his larger frame and taller height.

Kost did at least understand Frail's anger and suspicion. Had his own sister been ushered into a room in the dead of night, bleeding, screaming and convulsing… he could only imagine what his own reaction should Katari be under such pain.

When they had arrived with the servants had ushered them into one of the empty old servants' rooms. Between the panic and the barked orders of the servants, Kost hadn't been sure of what exactly was going on until the elder servant was called. An elder servant that just happened to be a midwife. She barked orders to the other servants and to Kost and Solas, who had appeared almost instantly, with soothing words saying he was a healer. As they had been men, they were asked to keep Mercy still, going so far as to tie her down, especially as her eyes flashed purple, only Solas and Kost were witness to that and aware of what it meant. Herbs and potions fed into Mercy once she remained still enough.

"It's true." Barris intervened, trying to placate Frail.

"Who the flames are you?" Frail swiveled his ire and barely concealed mistrust toward the Templar. Fletcher's hand went to his pommel and Frail looked about ready to attack, recognizing the Templar symbol on their breastplates. "Templars." He spat with all the disgust he could muster.

Not immediately ready to have the rogue's glare directed at him, he stood back. "Frail… this is Ser Barris and Ser Fletcher they were there when Mercy-" He froze. His head dropping as he considered what happened. It was a personal matter and a potentially disastrous one if he were to reveal Mercy's new status as an abomination on top of her lost child. To add to the chaos, he wasn't entire sure of what happened.

"She tried to soothe the mark… it was..." With eyes closed, he clenched his left hand to his side, cursing its existence. It was his fault she was in pain. _My fault._

"It activated?" Solas queried from his position by the window. The hearth was lit but his eyes still glowed, reflecting what little light the fire provided, the moonlight behind him. "Are you certain a rift wasn't near?"

"Yes. I… considered it. The other night it was the same and Mercy used some technique from her-" Kost cut off and eyed the two Templars. "-home to soothe it. It worked but this time, it was worse, far more painful before she intervened. I'm not entirely sure why."

"What technique?" Cassandra asked, her steely eyes. She too was in a state of undress but she managed to stand there and exude the same level of confidence. Everyone who had been asleep woke when the screams sounded. Varric was not too far but he looked far more dressed than the others, like he hadn't been sleeping at all. Given the scent that wafted off him, Kost knew that the dwarf had likely been smoking his pipe.

"Herald, perhaps you should first discuss why you were meeting Templars?" Solas angled his head toward the Templars.

Kost's horns cast dark shadows as he gazed at Barris and Fletcher, but nodded.

"Why were you? If you had found a means to contact them why did you not bring me with you?" Cassandra strode toward Kost, the Vashoth did not flinch but he looked down.

"It was arranged by Mercy. Her contact-" Kost flinched as Cole walked into the room and perched on one of the chairs by Frail who was listening intently. Only Solas showed any indication to have seen him. "-had sent word they would meet with me."

"Boots has her own contacts?" Varric questioned and laughed. "Didn't expect that."

"Seeker Cassandra. Is she truly a Seer?" Barris stepped forward. "Can she truly see the future?"

"I have not fully investigated her claims to such. However, given what I have been able to observe with her feats of magic, yes." Cassandra frowned. "She has repeated information, personal information that no one should know but myself. Unless she is a spy, which I doubt, then the only possibility would be that she is a Seer." Here her face softened, her eyes cast down before she blinked. "Why do you ask this? Did she reveal something to you?"

Barris and Fletcher looked to each other, shuffled nervously before they explained.

"Red Lyrium Templars…" Cassandra muttered, appalled by the thought. Her eyes clouded and her head slowly shook from left to right in disbelief at what she'd learned. "No…the Order. But then that would mean Lord Seeker Lucius… he knew. Knows." Her fist lashed out into the wall.

Even Solas gave pause when he learned, his eyes hardened.

"Oh shit… _shit_." Varric's head was in his hands. His chair scrapped against the wooden floor and he gave a sigh. "And he was with Samson? Raleigh Samson?" Varric looked up. "I thought the Order took him back?"

"They offered, but almost immediately he declined. I do not know why. The lyrium withdrawal must have driven him mad…" Fletcher responded.

"Wait. Samson?" Frail piped up, curious.

"You know him?" Kost's tilted his head down, eying Frail. How did he know of him?

"I don't… but I know someone who does. Dark hair? Red armor? About this tall?" His hand held up to measure out how tall the man was. Barris, Fletcher and the Herald nodded. "Was it red armor? _Red glowing_ armor?" Frail pressed on.

Varric paled. "You're not saying."

"Red lyrium armor. Brig had the misfortune of meeting him several times with our old leader, Emeric Whom was also drinking red lyrium for a time." Frail explained.

"Drinking it?!" Varric could not hide his horror. "That stuff turned the Knight Commander into it… Why would anyone willingly ingest the stuff?!"

"Because he was running out of regular lyrium and his old pal Samson just happened to be in the area." Frail continued. "By the way, this is all information you can get from Mercy. She's the one who will know more. But if you want a witness… you can ask Brig."

"I knew an Emeric. Briefly when I was still a recruit. Was he from Tantervale?" Fletcher asked.

"The very same." Frail answered.

Barris froze. "The order is truly lost."

"No." Cassandra turned back around, her eyes glossy. "It is not. We are fortunate we have a seer. She knew there would be those who still saw reason in the order, those who were not yet tainted and under the red lyrium's hold. There is still yet hope." Cassandra ordered. The two Templars standing at attention and nodding. "You must return to the order and perform an investigation. While we have a Seer we will not act without proof. Perform an investigation and if…if she was right." Cassandra swallowed heavily. "Gather as many as you can. Save those who you can trust and then you may find safety at Haven."

"Cassandra." Kost pulled her back. "I'm not entirely sure we should-"

"Should what? Leave them to that fate? Forced to ingest red lyrium? I saw what became of Knight Commander Meredith. I will not let what faithful remain in the order be doomed to such a fate." She seethed. Kost could not fault her for this. He glowered at the Templars. They were too risky, at least with the mages there was no threat of tainted lyrium, only Tevinter Magisters.

"I am not recruiting _the Order_. Understand that." Kost pointed to the Templars. "But if they- you wish to do something, to help stop the chaos and to help seal the breach, know you do have a place within the Inquisition. Consider this a formal recruitment but you will not be allies. If you join us… you will be under Ser Cullen's watch and command as individual Templars, not directly affiliated with the Order. I still plan on approaching the mages. Can you accept that? Can you accept the Inquisition will likely recruit and have the mages as allies? That they will be free among us?" Kost drew closer to the Templars, his towering frame left them straining to look up at him. "Can you?"

"I cannot say for my brothers, only for myself. Even if there were another option, I would choose the Inquisition given the circumstances, for at least you are trying." Ser Barris breathed, one hand at his breastplate. "Even if my investigation proves she is wrong, I would be honored to join the Inquisition. And if my brothers do not see reason then only I will return."

"What is the likelihood that your seer is wrong?" Fletcher gazed at them.

"Out of all the times she's made predictions. She's gotten none of them wrong." Frail spoke up, crossed his arms. It left the two knights uneasy.

"Go then. Return to the Order quickly before suspicion arises, do what you must." Cassandra bid them. With cloaks thrown over their armor they made their way out into the night, leaving behind a tense party, an unseen spirit, and a sleeping seer.

* * *

There was a delay to the Herald and his party's return to Haven. Not entirely because of Mercy, although that was one of the core reason. The main reason was because a lingering winter storm had made travel from the edges of Val Royeaux to the Gherlen's Pass all but impossible. Between landslides and an overabundance of bandits, it was perilous. Thus it left the party a few days extra in Val Royeaux. They were tense days as Cole remained invisible to all but Kost and Solas. He lingered near Mercy's room.

Kost tried not to acknowledge him but it was hard. The boy's stare and mutterings were constant, not to mention his hat was hard to miss.

On the second day of their extended stay in the apartments, he was alone in the apartments, outside of Mercy, Frail and Cole. The others had gone out to attend to matters while Kost pooled over the missives that had been dropped onto the table by an agent. Missives that had been forwarded here. Leliana, Cullen and Josephine were unable to come to a conclusion on several dozen matters, so it was down to him to decide what should be done. He was determined to pick the best possible solution to each matter but he'd been at it all morning and it was nearing midday. He had hoped to be through at least half of them so he might coax Mercy out of her room but it wasn't looking like that might happen.

It was just after midday when the apartments received a visitor. Lady Bartiere escorted in a darkly armored woman whom wore a white mask. Her leathers and visibly sheathed daggers let Kost know she was a rogue but what type was unclear.

"Herald, a Serah Argent is here for you."

Kost rose from his spot and the woman drew her hood back and removed her mask. Her piercing gray eyes were particularly sharp against her cheekbones, her lips cracked and chapped from the brisk wind outside and her blonde hair was shaved short and the remaining mohawk was brushed back.

"Master Adaar." She gave a deep bow. "I was sent orders to report to these apartments by the Nightingale."

"Argent... you said?" Kost eyed the woman, wary of her weapons. But he did recall a missive from Leliana. Reaching for the stack of completed missives he thumbed through them and found the one.

 _Be on the lookout. A bodyguard by the name of Argent will arrive. She is from the estate of Lady Cybile Maronn of Baisne. She will be useful in your travels back to Haven._

"You're from the estate of-" Kost began.

"Lady Cybile. I was her bodyguard by contract but certain... complications arose and so my contract was given to the Inquisition. As well as a sizable donation to the Inquisition's coffers and her best mounts and steeds. They will be delivered to the stables." Argent folded her arms behind her back and stood at attention. "I await your orders, Master Adaar."

"Please... uh dispense with the Master Adaar. If you would, call me Kost." This was apparently the wrong thing to say as Argent's brows furrowed.

"I follow a strict set of rules, Master Adaar. But if you insist then how about I call you Herald?" She offered, a devious glint in her eyes.

Kost groaned and shook his head. "No, Adaar will be fine."

"Very well, what are your orders for me, Master Adaar?"

Kost frowned. He was unaccustomed to giving direct orders. Normally he gave his opinion and then Leliana or Cullen did the ordering of their agents. Not Josephine, she asked nicely. Although he swears one of those missives she might have hidden a threat in there, but he wasn't entirely sure. Either way, Argent looked to him with an expectation that left him flummoxed. He gulped. He couldn't even turn to Lady Bartiere for aid as she had excused herself. She was after all a busy woman.

Kost turned to the window that streamed the afternoon light and he smiled. "Have you had luncheon yet?"

Luncheon was served in the solarium that gave them a view of the Summer Bazaar over the Miroir de la Mère. The meal itself was something simply, as Kost has insisted of the servants. It was cheese with imported Dwarven lemon truffles, thinly sliced ham and tea. Kost wasn't too fond of wine most days and he much preferred the tea, it was calming and reminded him of Mamae. Not this tea of course, this was Orlesian tea with cream, honey and a slice of lime. It was overdone and dressed up in fancy cups and plates but it would have to do.

He missed the wooden tea cups his Tama crafted for Mamae, Mamae teaching him and Kata how to brew the teas with their magic. Simultaneously using Inferno and Winter magic. The scents of base elfroot mixed with lavender and drops of tree sap filling their senses. It wasn't until later he learned the tea was brewed to relax him and Kata. They had been rambunctious children. It was just as well, he could use such a tea. Especially as for the second day in a row, Frail sat down for luncheon with him, alone.

After introductions between Frail and Argent were had, Kost broached the topic.

"Frail… where is Mercy?" Kost addressed the waifish man.

"In her room." Frail responded.

"Will she be joining us?" Kost pressed his left hand to his side and out of sight.

"I doubt it."

"Frail! She needs to eat."

"You don't think I know that? But you try getting a mage as powerful as she to budge when she doesn't want to." Frail's teeth flashed as he glared. "You should go up and try… you're the Herald of Andraste after all and she, _your Seer_."

"She's… she's not _mine._ "

"So you will claim, but the rumors around Orlais have spread like wildfire…"

"Excuse me." Argent drew their attention. "May I have a try at bringing out this woman?"

"Sure, give it your best." Frail smirked with crossed arms.

"No you don't understand the-" Kost said at the same time as Frail. They eyed each other. "Mercy is at a very sensitive moment. I appreciate you offering but… I would prefer she come out in time. I just wish she would eat."

"Then perhaps it is time?" Argent rose from the table.

"Wait you can't-" Kost also rose.

"Are you ordering me not to?" Argent deadpanned. Kost lost his tongue and shook his head. "Then I am acting of my own accord."

Before Kost could do much of anything, Argent disappeared out of the room. "Frail! We don't know how sensitive she will be!"

"If you're that worried then go watch your new bodyguard?" Frail scoffed.

"She's… but she's your sister! Don't you care?" Kost asked affronted.

"I do. But she's being melodramatic, if you ask me. Someone ought to slap some sense into her." Frail shoved a truffle into his mouth and chewed.

"Shouldn't that someone be you?" Kost softened.

"No. That someone should be Alon but she forbade me from sending him a message and I am this close from sending it anyway. Alon deserves to know about…" Frail trailed off with a confused look, and then shook his head. A wide brimmed hat wearing boy puffed into existence next to him, startling Kost.

"Cole!" Kost hissed.

"He mustn't know." Cole muttered, his eyes staring at Frail's for a moment before he pulled away, stepping back into a corner.

"What was I saying?" Frail blinked. "Right! It might as well be someone who doesn't know how her temper can be sometimes."

Kost stared at Frail and then at Cole, his mouth running dry. Had the spirit made Frail forget? Was Cole able to… _Wait… who was, what was he thinking?_ Kost shook his own head and eyed Frail who raised a brow at him.

"Oh, you have no idea how bad her temper can be. One time at camp she got so mad at me, she subconsciously made my hair _pink_. I didn't even know mages could do that." Frail snorted.

"They… can't? Wait… what just happened, Frail. We were talking about something else." Kost blinked and scratched his head. "I swear we were."

"I SAID GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY FACE!" A shrill voice carried throughout the house. Kost and Frail looked to each other before jumping out of their chairs and up the stairs.

"The Herald and your brother are worried for you. If you cared, you would make an appearance at meal times." Argent said as she towered over Mercy's frame in the doorway. Mercy was pale, paler than Kost remembered her being. There were dark circles under her puffy red eyes and her hair which was normally a mass of bouncy blonde curls lay flat and matted. She was wearing a simple brown dress and pinafore over it.

"Just who the fuck are you." Mercy snarled.

"Apparently the only one man enough to attempt to drag you out." Argent deadpanned.

"HA! _Fuck you_." Mercy went to close the door, but Argent was quick. Her hand pushed the door open.

"You will come down to lunch, now."

"And I said no. Get out of my face." Mercy's hands shook, lightning crackling around them.

"Make me."

"I will push you back with such _unrelenting force_ you will turn into a ragdoll. So step back." Mercy growled, her hands sparking audibly, a purple like substance oozing around her and building in mass. Kost frowned.

 _Mercy's bloodied face turned from him, her purple glowing blood teary eyes turned toward the wall. Her hand outstretched and Kost watched as a purple spark of lightning shot out of her hand, twirling in the air and danced before it sunk into the wall, disappearing._

"-you clearly haven't slept in days, haven't eaten. And If I'd guessed you haven't bathed, given the stench. You're weak. You are barely keeping yourself on your feet. What makes you think you can push anyone-"

Kost should have warned Argent, told her to duck because clearly she wasn't seeing what he was. The magical force Mercy was calling on became greater and greater the more Argent spoke, each truth making her flinch and causing her to grit her teeth until finally she snapped, eyes wild.

"FUS RO DAH!"

A purple swirling force burst from Mercy as she shouted, it slammed Argent against the corridor wall with an audible crack. The entire apartment shook, candelabras shaking and the remaining force burst one of the windows. Kost had been halfway toward the two of them when the force staggered him backward a step or two.

Silence filled the house for a few heavy seconds.

"Oh my fucking god, that worked!" Mercy's voice was the lightest and happiest he'd ever heard it. She even gave a peal of giggling laughter until Argent let out a pained groaned. "Oh fuck it _worked_."

* * *

 **NOTES** : I am trash. For those of you that don't know... I have a tumblr under the exact same author name. I will be posting updates and teasers to Maker, Have Mercy as well as my other fics. It's my personal blog thus, not every post will be about the fic, but you can click to the tag **my fanfics** and get all post related to my fanfics only. But if you do follow me, I generally reblog Dragon Age related stuff and occasionally some cute puppies or kittens.

Recently a fellow Modern Day OC In Thedas author by the name of **ecarius** author of **_Anyway, here's Kirkwall_** _,_ which if you aren't reading already, it's fantastic, go read it now! But Ecarius posted up a fantastic prompt to imagine your Modern Day OCs as a companion to the Inquisitor. I might have focused on that prompt instead of the next chapter but it did give me hilarious motivation and inspiration to finish this chapter. You can read what I ended up doing with it or go back to Ecarius's original post and fill it out for your own stories! It's great and really fun to think about. Just don't do what I did and get carried away and make it into the Character Guide that I did.

Hope you guys enjoyed Kost's chapter from his POV, sorta. I wanted this chapter to not touch on Mercy's "mental recovery" because when I started it was a clusterfuck of inner monologue that wasn't all that fun to write, much less read. So I opted for Kost's POV. Plus we got to learn a little more about Kost, so yeah! We'll be going back to Mercy's POV next chapter. And also travel to Haven begins next chapter! Yeah! Final-fucking-ly... Only took 10+ chapters! Sorry about that.

 **Review Responses:**

 **5 Coloured Walker:** I'm glad you liked it! It was a sorta tough chapter to write.

 **SNicole25** : I'll let you in on a secret, that is exactly what Audacity was planning on doing. Using the fetus/baby as a means to escape but things didn't quite pan out for her. You can even make the assumption that Audacity, who is Mercy's magical conductor, disallowed any of her "contraceptive" spells from working. Think about that.

 **METALHELLSPWN** : Good reference! And yes you could say it's similar to Jugo. though not entirely, but is very similar! Oh the Corypheus arc is going to be so much fun for me because I have been so eager to get to the parts where Mercy is actually captured by him. Wait... was that a spoiler for things to come... why I believe so. ENJOY!

 **GreaterGoodIreland** : Oh I actually had fun writing Solas that time, even if I grit my teeth through out. But does it show how little Solas cares for Mercy's well being?

 **debatable-cerealkiller** : WELCOME TO THE PARTY! Glad to have you joining us on this trip of a fic. You're much too kind. Honestly the idea started off as a joke and it morphed into this amalgamation of bits and bobs that seems to work well? So HURRAY I'm glad you think it's creative!


	74. Switcheroo

I am the Dragonborn.

 _You are not the Dragonborn._

I just shouted. I am the Dragonborn.

 _Exactly what part of, your imagination is your magic, did you not understand?_

Shut the fuck up, Audacity and let me fucking have this. I am the Dragonborn. Next shout will be Od-Ah-Viing. I am going to summon me up my own Dragon. I'm going to teach Kost how to dragonshout and we can have pet dragons, and ride them. And we can have dragon battles. Take that Iron Bull and your Mabari, we've got Dragons!

A sigh echoed within my head. _Have you killed any dragons lately?_

Noo…

 _Consumed any of their souls?_

No.

 _Then you're not a Dragonborn._

You know, you're a real buzzkill.

 _Concentrate or did you already forget the woman you hurt._

I eyed the woman whose name I didn't know. Her body had flung into the, thankfully, wooden wall. Parts of the wood was cracked and splintering. The woman herself was taller than me and lithe. Her pale skin grew paler in the afternoon light that filtered in through the now shattered window at the end of the hall.

Shit, I'm not paying for that.

I went down on bended knee and began to examine her. Truthfully I hadn't actually thought dragon shouting would work and was just doing it to well, let off some steam. You know, yell at her to get her back maybe even scare her off. And to be fair she was really in my face.

My hand pressed to her face, feeling her temperature and she roused, eyes glowering up at me. I didn't wait and poured my and Audacity's magic into her, scanning her body and collecting information about what was broken, bruised and needed healing. Audacity chimed in that I should concentrate on her back but I already knew that. Muscles that just slammed into wood at that force would likely hurt. There were probably even some broken ribs given her groan when she shifted, her hands grabbing my hand to push me off.

No way sister, I broke you so I'm going to fix you with my handy dandy demon.

 _Not a demon._

Audacity insists she is a spirit and not a demon. Yeah right, that's what Imshael said, will say. We had a real long talk about it. It was in my head. It guest starred Cole, the unbelievably compassionate spirit boy. I also had words with him about not letting me know I was possessed. Didn't he have problems with demons possessing people, especially mages without their knowing?

 _"But she helped you." Cole's voice insisted._

 _"What could a demon help me with? She caused so many problems! I lost a child. Cole... a child!"_

 _"I would like to note, you caused that problem all on your own." Audacity's projection smirked and I mentally scowled. I say mentally because this entire conversation, this exchange was in my head._

 _"As if you couldn't have stopped me from touching the mark."_

 _"I can't stop you. I can only guide you."_

 _"Guide, conductor… whatever! You could have revealed I was pregnant!" I hissed at the projection of Audacity. She had horns protruding from my curly blonde hair and wore the standard desire demon pasties over her bosom, barely concerned with the fact she was exposing my body to a compassion spirit. I wasn't going to pick that fight now however. "And Cole… exactly how does a demon help me? How was she helping me?" I turned on Cole who was unfazed. He didn't even flinch as I poked his chest with each word._

 _Cole's eyes gazed down at me. His brilliantly blue and gray eyes were filled with an innocence that made me feel guilty for even being mad at him, but I stood my ground despite the yanking in my heart._

 _"Far fluttering away from home. Everything is different. Everything. Is. Different. But not this. Mustn't act on it. Its improper. What will they think? Yearning, wanting, needing. Skin on skin, breath on breath. Lips warm-hot-searing to touch. A want so hard, gravity shakes and blossoms inside me. Knees snapping under the burden. I have to feel, be close, to touch and be touched, to hold and be held. I don't know any other way. Just one night, it won't hurt." Cole mimicked my voice as he spoke, his hair fluttering over his forehead as he tilted his head staring at me quizzically._

 _He shocked me as his cold hands, even in my head, grabbed my hand. "But you can't. You think its wrong, but if it helps you then you should." Cole muttered. "She helped you, is helping. Will help."_

Needless to say that shut me up.

I sighed as the familiar surge of magic swirled around the woman, the images I received of what exactly I injured. All she had was a broken rib, sprained shoulder and bruised back muscles. Thankfully, no spinal injuries. I could have crippled this woman.

"Mercy! Stop!" Kost's voice was sharp as he admonished me.

The flow of my magic halted and my body stilled in place with a light dusting of frost over my hands. Now that was disconcerting.

"What are you doing?" He sounded infuriated and hesitant to approach. I was not scared as he approached but I was very confused.

"Healing…" I gazed up at him.

"Oh…" Kost's golden eyes took my appearance in. It was not the first time I felt shame, but it was the first time I felt it with regard to Kost looking at me. I must have been a mess. I didn't want to admit the woman was right but I let myself go, and badly. Two days and I was a wreck. "Okay… Is she okay? What was that spell?"

 _It is not a spell, more of an expulsion of excess magic._

"It isn't really a spell more of an expulsion of excess magic." Audacity's words came tumbling out of my mouth as she spoke them in my head. It was as if we were one. Anders words of not knowing where Justice ended and he began rang true and clear. Would that one day be me? Would I eventually not know where Audacity ended and I began? Would our thoughts become one? Would she think something and I would mistake it for my thoughts?

Was this helping me? I doubted Cole, I still doubted him for his insistence that Audcaity would help me. But I did trust the spirit child and not just because I knew him through a video game. He helped me avoid Lord Seeker Lucius and Samson.

"Oh?" Kost snapped me from my musings.

"I've never seen you use that spell before." Frail's voice had my heart leaping to my throat. Where had he come from?!

"I… never used it before. I didn't even know I could." I muttered, staring into the woman's eyes.

"You didn't know you could?" She spat at me, waves of anger rolling off her as she tried to get up but my grip on her shoulders was firm in place. She scowled.

"Yeah…" I frowned. I wanted to finish healing her. I pushed at my magic, trying to get it to flow again but nothing happened. I could feel my magic building just below the surface but it went nowhere. It was congested, blocked and dammed up and I could see my aura, bright green and dark purple swirling. The purple wasn't new but the behavior was. It spun, making ribbons across my skin and looping around my wrist, following the trails of my nerves and blood vessels. It sparked and pulsed, pumping around and around but never once leaving me. It was stuck inside me. Why?

Several minutes had gone by and I felt the heavy stare of Kost and Frail peeking at me curiously and the woman was panting, grunting in pain as she feebly gripped my stiff hand, trying to pry it off. Kost and Frail were too close for comfort. Their heat and breath brushing across my shoulder unpleasantly. I felt constricted.

"Can you guys not hover so I can heal?" I nearly snapped.

"Sorry. Continue…" Kost apologized and backed up. Frail squinted but also drew back.

Almost instantly my magic rushed out, pouring into the woman who let out a hiss and then a sigh, relieved as the pain was gone in mere seconds. Once done, I pulled back and shook my hands free of the flurries.

What happened? Why had my magic stopped?

 _I am unsure._

Well. Now that wasn't reassuring.

"Mercy, are you…" Kost tried to ask but the woman was on her feet and slamming me against the wall. I leveled her with an unamused glare. I expected that. "Argent! Let her go."

"Is that an order, Master Adaar?" She gritted out. Master Adaar?

"Ye-yes." Kost stumbled over the word, uncomfortable with the title.

"Very well." Argent let me go but gave me a withering look before descending down the stairs.

"Well… she's pleasant." I griped rolling my shoulders.

"You did attack her." Frail stepped close to me. "I would have done worse to you if you'd done that to me."

"You would have cut my hair in my sleep." I smiled at Frail. It dropped when Frail's shoulders drooped and he launched himself at me, arms around me and his head resting on my shoulder.

"You're back." He mumbled.

"Yeah… I just. I just needed time." I mumbled mutely. _To grieve._

"Are you okay?" Kost's inquiry drew Frail back as he examined my face.

Was I okay? No. Not in the slightest. I was in a world I had largely believed to be fictional for years. I had magic. I apparently had visions of my future where apparently Corypheus had me in some dungeon or fortress, subjected to the whims of Calpernia and Samson. My magic is weird and is powered by willpower. Which is appropriate considering that's the stat in the games to increase your magic ability. I just cast what could amount to be a foreign magic style. I had a demon, spirit, in my head which meant I am an abomination with Hedge Mage tendencies. I just tried to save the Templars. And to top it off, I just had a miscarriage.

I was not okay. They didn't need to know all that. "No…" I sighed resolutely. "But I will be." I conceded. Kost and Frail released a breath they'd been holding and both pulled me into hugs that I stiffly returned.

"Good." Frail let me go, a smirk stretched over his features. "I was tired of you moping. I got enough of that back at the encampment." I shoved him with a pout.

"So want to fill me in on what I missed while I was...?" I looked at Kost while waving my hand at the room that I haunted for the last two days in solitude.

"I think first you should eat and maybe have a bath." Kost plugged his nose over dramatically and turned his head away,

"I don't stink that badly!" My voice rose an octave, offended. I sniff myself and blanched at the pungent odor wafting off me. Actually I did stink. "Okay, correction I do."

After a bath, where I cringed as I tried to untangle my horribly matted hair before letting one of the servants do it and apologizing profusely about the broken window to Lady Bartiere, where in Kost promised the Inquisition would cover the damages; I sat down in the den with a tray of cheese, ham, truffles, cookies and Orlesian tea. Kost went over everything that had happened while I had been "lost" in my own sorrow, as I put it.

"So the Templars… Barris and Fletcher, Cassandra sent them back to the Order? What if they get caught?" I frowned. The effort just to meet with them and warn them would have been wasted.

"I asked the same. Cassandra seems confident they will be able to avoid detection in time." Kost said, having the same reservations as me by the looks of it.

"Varric says he might know where they are getting their red lyrium. I told him he should look into the dwarven hold you told me about on the Coast." Frail said from my side as he picked a truffle off my plate and ate it. I rolled my eyes at him and gave him all the truffles. I wasn't fond of them.

"Hmm. That's not where they are getting the bulk of the red lyrium from." I mumbled. No the bulk of it was coming from several mines, one of which leads to the Deep Roads in the Hinterlands, but I had no clue where it might be. That particular mine was locked off by a specialized lock by the one and only Bianca Davri. I chewed my lip as I considered telling Varric to look into that. It could be worth it because then we could curb how much red lyrium is out there. But would it force them to mine it from somewhere else, somewhere we wouldn't know?

"Dwarven hold? You mean that door leads somewhere?" Kost looked up from the missive he had been pouring over.

"You saw it?"

"I did. I tried to pick it, or well Varric tried but we couldn't. Says we might need a specialist for it." Kost frowned. "And they have red lyrium there?"

"Not really. I'm not a big wealth of knowledge of where those trade routes are…" I trailed off seeing Kost look up at someone behind me. I turned in my seat to spot Varric at the entrance of the den, the shadows of the approaching evening made his features look like he wasn't in the best of moods. His brows were drawn in concern and eyes dark with haunted troubled look to them, but it was all banished the moment he stepped in. The light revealed the half smirk he had but it didn't reach his eyes fully.

"Boots!" Varric grinned, whether it was forced or not I didn't know. He stepped into the den and gave me a pleased smile. "Nice to see you up and about." He patted my shoulder and pulled a cloth wrapped parcel from his jacket and dropped it on my lap. I eyed the parcel, concerned for a moment and distracted enough that Varric stole the plate from me. I didn't mind, I wasn't too hungry.

"What are _those_?" I asked, completely changing the subject from the red lyrium trade to this.

"I do owe you a copy of my books don't I?" Varric ruffled my still tangled hair as I gaped at the bundle, quickly unwrapping it. Three books. The first two books of Hard in Hightown and the first chapter of Swords and Shields. I squealed like the proverbial fangirl I was as the highest octave I could reach. Kost and Frail cringed and drew back away from me as I let out another squeal when I quickly opened the books to see they were also _signed_ copies. I squealed again, tears at my eyes and threw my arms around Varric. Propriety be damned, I drew him into a hug and I might have pressed his face into my bosom which was not completely intentional but fuck it, this was _Varric Tethras._ We've all thought about it at least once.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" I chanted and smacked a kiss onto his cheek to his bemusement and shock. "Oh! Sorry-sorry. No need to make Bianca jealous but I'm going to cherish these." I beamed at Varric. Kost was snorting, barely concealing his laughter and Frail was glowering at Varric.

"I've never gotten a kiss from Mercy before, that's not fair." He huffed.

"Shush… " I waved at Frail. "You've no idea what these books mean to me." I gleamed as I fondly touched each cover, my fingers tracing the written common on the covers for the title and the artwork. The artwork was like someone painstakingly painted it. I could see the brush strokes and the feel the canvas edges. There was also a faint hum of magic. Was that an enchantment?

"If I'd known they'd make you this happy I would have rushed my publisher." Varric muttered. "You'll have to wait for the rest, they have to reprint them. Tale of the Champion is sold out again, I'm afraid."

"Varric. Who does the cover?" I asked.

"I know an artist and my publisher as an _illustrator_ on hand who can copy it over quickly. Still it takes a while. Why?" Varric explained.

"Wait… someone paints the cover for each of the books?" My mouth gaped open as Varric nodded. "For every single one you sell?" Again Varric nodded.

"Well. The ones that go to the public are just text pamphlets but those willing to spend a little more coin, can get one of these. They are significantly harder and more expensive to produce. But I did have a few on backlog."

I gaped at Varric as he explained. It made sense. They might have a printing press but no way could they have one for cover art. Each hardcover with the beautiful artwork would have to be done by hand by someone. Suddenly, they felt even more precious than gold sitting in my lap.

I eyed them and quickly re-wrapped them too afraid they would get damaged because of my clumsiness. I didn't even know I was crying until I sniffed.

"Hey no need to cry." Varric tilted my chin up. I didn't say anything, too scared I would start sobbing.

"Bubbling elation, warmth and belonging. Gracious and comfort. She is happy." Cole muttered as he came into being on the opposite side of the couch. I snickered as Varric eyed the spirit boy seemingly unfazed. Frail reached for his daggers on instinct and Kost sent a bemused look toward Cole, not threatened by him.

"What did I tell you about doing that?" Kost said.

"That it is unnerving and I should refrain. I will try to remember." Cole said and ducked his head, his hat hiding his features.

"Who are you?"

"I am Cole." The spirit shied away from being directly looked at, but did not disappear.

"Well, nice to meet you Cole." Varric offered his hand. "You've got to teach me how you managed to sneak in and perch there."

"I didn't. I was always there, I just let you see me." Cole explained unblinkingly.

"Cole can choose who and when people see him." I explained.

"Cole is a spirit of Compassion." Came Solas's voice as he walked into the room. I tensed as the elf passed too close to the couch for comfort. His magic coming over me and scanning me.

 _Grrr._ Audacity growled from within, my magic flaring up and blocking Solas's attempts.

"A spirit? You mean like a demon?" Frail's fists clenched and he looked from Cole to me.

"Relax. He's harmless." I tried to placate Frail. Harmless so long as you do not actively try to hurt people. And there is also the fact he was making Frail forget about telling a certain ginger about… I squashed that thought down.

"You certainly have an odd assortment of followers, Killer." Varric tossed Adaar a teasing look.

"I don't have followers…ugh." Kost covered his face and laid his head down on the table.

"She wants to read the books. Wants to practice." Cole interjected my thoughts.

"Hey!" My cheeks warmed as the others laughed. "Well… yes I do. But…" I huffed and shrunk into the seat.

"You can read them." Varric said pulling out his pipe and shook it at me invitingly, to which of course I agreed. If given the option of smoking weed with Varric and not smoking with Varric, always pick smoking with Varric.

"Make her read it out loud." Frail suggested with a glint in his eyes. I scowled at him.

"Andraste's dimpled buttcheeks, you're terrible when you work against me!" Everyone, sans Cole, howled in laughter at my creative use of a slur. I snickered into my hand, then tucking my feet underneath me, I cracked open Hard in Hightown. "They say coin never sleeps, but any… anyone who's walked the patrol of Hightown Market at mi-… _midnight_ might disagree. The pickpockets and confidence men head to the taverns at dusk…"

I read the entirety of the first chapter outloud, even when dinner was called. But by then Argent and Cassandra had returned together discussing the horses that had been delivered. Cassandra started when she saw me. Her eyes softened, flicking briefly to my abdomen and she looked ready to offer me my condolences but I held my hand up. I didn't need the pity, I'd generated enough of it on my own for my own benefit.

Kost instead began talk about our plans for travel in the morning, given I was well enough, to which I adamantly insisted it was time to leave Orlais. Truthfully, I was impatient. I wanted to get to Haven so I could get it over with and come clean to Leliana, Josephine, and Cullen about what I knew and offer what help I could. Maybe even relieve Adan as healer while there.

The next morning Kost left Lady Bartiere with a large sum of sovereigns. Where he got that gold I have no idea. The guy had piles of it lying somewhere, I just knew it. He was basically a Thedosian Harry Potter with a pile of glittering gold galleons-sovereigns in some underground dwarven bank, I just knew it. He threw around gold like it was nobody's business. Actually. I wonder if there is a such a thing as a bank on Thedas. It'd probably have to be connected to the Merchant's Guild. I'd have to ask Varric.

Kost, Cassandra, Solas, Varric, Frail, Argent, Cole and I headed out to the stables on the edge of Val Royeaux where the horses had been. There were scouts there who were saddling the horses. There far more horses than I remember us coming with. I spied the Ferelden Forders, the Charger, and the Red Hart were already saddled. Two more horses, I recognized them as the Orlesian Courser and Taslin Strider were kitted up in their saddles and led out.

"Where's Fuzzy?" I questioned.

"Fuzzy?" Argent rose a brow at me.

"Fuzzy is Boots' nickname for…that." Varric explained as the Bog Unicorn was led out. Only it didn't look like the undead horse I knew. I watched as the green film around it made me shudder. That was a possessed horse. I could see the spirit inside it, it's true form encased inside the risen horse. Its true form was translucent and there was a faint ghost of an image of an actual horn, brilliant and white.

Bog Unicorn did not do this horse justice.

"Stolen, spoiled, storming. Its master soured, the horn removed and the sword was sharp. It angered, everyone will fear it. Not you. It knows you. You are kind, you picked it." Cole whispered just loud enough to hear me.

"It was an actual Unicorn?" I asked Cole quietly as the others began mounting their horses.

"Yes. It came back, angry. It wanted everyone to pay. So long it ran free, dragging those who would capture it, stop it down and killing them. The Breach, it makes it hurt. Must stop it. I will help, I will make them fear the Herald, the anchor holder." Cole muttered.

At the word anchor, I watched Solas mount the Strider, afraid he had heard.

"So…Fuzzy likes me?"

"Yes." Cole wrung his hands and shifted as Cassandra approached. He ducked behind me a bit.

"You… - Cole." Cassandra corrected herself at my pout. She'd been introduced to Cole as well and she was suspicious of him. "Do you know how to ride?" She asked.

"I can walk." Cole muttered.

"Walk?" Cassandra snapped her head back bewildered.

"Cole, you may ride with me." Solas called. I gripped Cole's arm.

"No. Cole will ride with me." I stated firmly. Cassandra raised a brow at me and turned toward Solas.

"An inexperienced rider with another is not wise, Mercy." Solas challenged me.

"He's right." Kost said while atop the Charger.

"Fine." I huffed and let go of Cole's arm. He peeked up at me once and then walked toward Solas's horse where he was helped up.

I pouted the entire way to Fuzzy, even as I felt the spirit within it greet me.

 _I greet you._ Audacity echoed in my head. The horse gave a neigh and shook its mane before it stretched its legs and bowed.

 _Bow in my stead._

I bowed to Fuzzy and it gave a pleased neigh, or it seemed pleased and trotted around me and nuzzled my face. Its leathery skin was mildly unpleasant but the patches of fuzz made up for it as well as the odd looks from the scouts and the rest of the party.

"You've made friends… with an undead horse?" Varric chuckled as he mounted.

"I make friends with lots of people and creatures." I snubbed as I mounted the horse and felt the familiar press of Fuzzy's ribs to my calves. "So… we're heading to Haven right?"

Cassandra looked back at me from atop her mount. "No. We're heading to Redcliffe first."

I faltered on Fuzzy, alarmed. "Redcliffe?!"

* * *

 **Notes** : I said Haven and then threw that curve-ball at the end. -grins- Let me know what you guys think! This was a nice chapter to write.

To clarify some things about Mercy's magic. It is based on Creativity, Willpower, and Imagination. If she can imagine it and wants it hard enough it can generally be recreated so long as she can visualize it, which is easy for her as she is an artist. But it's not actually it. Case in point, the dragon shout. It acted like it does but Mercy has not consumed a dragon soul so it's clearly not the same as the one in Skyrim. Keep that in mind going forward.

Also, revelation! The Pairing is now announced. Blackwall/Mercy.

 **GreaterGoodIreland** : Thank you! I was a little skeptical to include the Dragonshouting but Audacity crushed Mercy's hope real quick about that. So far the "special" in Mercy extends to her vision with a drawback, magic channeling through her feet, and now "shouting."

 **METALHELLSPWN** : I laughed so hard reading your review. Perfect execution of the narrator voice.

 **Warden of Lore** : Lol. She isn't the Dovahkiin.

 **5 Coloured Walker** : I have a plan for that.

 **Mental Verin** : As far as I will reveal, Frail was going to tell Alon about the miscarriage.


	75. A Frisky Revisit

The view of Lake Calenhad over the sprawling hills from atop the path of Gherlen's Pass was both a relief and stomach twisting terror. Would we be taking a boat to Redcliffe? I hoped not. I really hoped we didn't have to get on the boat, primarily because of the soul sinking fear and anxiety. I didn't want to remember the swirling darkness and drowning, the time I almost died.

I slipped off Fuzzy as we came upon the stables. We were stopping for a day to give the horses time to rest before continuing. I led Fuzzy into his own stall quickly and fled, barely taking note of the additional two Orlesian Courtiers and a cart raised up so as to receive repairs by one of the Inquisition scouts.

The familiar appearance of the Frisky Bronto gave me some semblance of peace, especially as I fled Solas and Cassandra before they could get their claws on me. The entire trip here has been filled with the both of them exhausting me and testing my limits. With Cassandra it was with the sword and making sure I didn't rely solely on my magic for defense.

"You will expend your mana too quickly if you rely only on your magic to protect you. You must be quick, agile." Cassandra barked at me as she came at me with her sword and shield, bashing me around the makeshift training circle in camp.

I would have turned to Kost for help, or hell even Solas but they agreed with her and even encouraged her, pointing out the things I did in order to avoid using my staff as a weapon, like distracting her, feigning and letting the staff go so I could cast with my hands. It was a nasty habit that got broken far too quickly after one too many bruised fingers. Even if I could heal my wounds with little effort, it still hurt to get them.

Solas on the other hand kept a promise he had made. He taught me how to clean my armor. (I swear I thought he'd been joking in that secluded courtyard.) On top of that, at the behest of Kost the hobo apostate began training me on how to focus my magic. As you can imagine it started off with meditation, or more accurately, let's see how fast Solas can fall asleep and I can sneak away. Every session was a practice on patience while we waited for the Dread Wolf to snooze away, once he stopped scanning and looking for Audacity..

Kost and Solas had deemed the revelation of Audacity's existence a non-priority, especially as Cassandra was just introduced to Cole. We had all decided it would be best not to reveal another spirit's presence. One was enough...for now.

I pushed open the door, fully intending on finding a room and locking myself away so I could have a private bath, but instead stumbled into the Frisky Bronto as the sounds of on Lady Vivienne and several Orlesian merchants chittered away in Orlesian. The interior of the Frisky Bronto had been greatly improved. I mean the wood wasn't so dreary but rich and shined. There were clothed tables and not a spec of dust anywhere.

I could see Walgan and Avery serving out plates of donuts with syrup glazed over it.

"Merci!" Came the oh-so familiar voice of Lord Hervé.

I tried to escape. I really did. My feet quickly trying to direct my body toward the stairs but the intense curious stare of one Madame de Fer had me pinned. She was staring at my clothes, my hair, and no doubt how grubby I looked but apparently it was passable as she glided toward me with a light laugh.

"Mercedes. How good of you to join us. I had no idea you knew the heir-apparent of Viscount of Val Firmin."

What Lady Vivienne was doing here, in the Frisky Bronto was beyond me. Even more so as I thought I wouldn't encounter her again until Haven; actually i was hoping for that. She drew me closer to Hervé.

"I'm sorry the heir-apparent?" I questioned as politely as I could.

"You must forgive my earlier deception." Hervé stepped up, the familiar bushy eyebrows and moustache were gone and now were neatly trimmed, but it was still him. "Although my father was granted the title due to the success in trade, I am not a heir-apparent despite what Madame de Fer says."

"Come now, Hervé. Your brothers have all but spent their inheritance yet you thrive. Surely your father will see sense." Lady Vivienne smiled, her eyes sharp as she drew closer.

"Please, Madame Vivienne, you know as well as I a third son can only hope to serve as best he can in the family business."

"You never know what you can accomplish with the right leverage."

"I am not so ambitious as you appear to be, Lady Vivienne." Hervé chuckled.

Vivienne wasn't joking, by the look in her eyes. Calculating and with a hidden agenda, she angled her head toward me. "Mercedes, do you believe Hervé would not make for a competent Viscount?"

Why was she asking me? "I… well yes. I suppose he would." I bumbled my way through as the doors to the Frisky Bronto opened and in came Kost, followed by Solas, Varric, Frail, and Cass. Frail caught my eye with a shit-eating grin until he was distracted by a large figure in the corner. I didn't look because I could see Cassandra heading toward me. "I'm sorry, Hervé. Lady Vivienne, it has been a long journey from Val Royeaux...If you'll excuse me."

"Of course, you must be exhausted." Hervé gave a slight bow, but Vivienne stared hard at me as I backed away. I didn't care, I just needed solitude and silence and wanted to escape before Cass and Solas caught up with me.

I bounded up the stairs and directed myself into one of the familiar rooms, bursting through and slamming the door shut. My head rested against the wooden doors just as the familiar sounds of a plucked lute let me know this room was occupied.

"Zi-zither!" I spun and was met with Zither and the group of urchins I recognized all sat around him. They looked back at me, shocked before turning back toward the Orlesian musician who strung up a tune, the boys all picking up the lyrics of Andraste's mabari quite easily. One of the more rambunctious singers being Dylan, who stood up and sang boisterously.

Not exactly the quiet and solitude I wanted but this was marginally better than the Orlesian ambush downstairs.

"Come to join us have you?" Zither was completely unfazed by my presence.

"I-..." I heard Kost's voice call for me from beyond the door. "Yes. I've come to join you." I hastily stepped toward Zither and plopped down next to him, my pack dropped behind me. The boys and some young girls looked on with amusement as I immediately began singing nursery rhymes, Zither picking up the melody rather quickly.

The door opened whilst I was in the midst of leading the children through the motions of the Chicken Dance. We all paused, amused and stared at Kost and Cassandra.

"Oh." Cassandra had looked ready to admonish me but her terse expression softened in the face of children.

Kost on the other hand looked panicked as the children looked up at him in awe, shock, and mixed degrees of trepidation, fear, and curiosity. "I-I… see you're busy. We won't bother you." Kost muttered and very slowly backed out and closed the door, dragging Cassandra with him.

The children didn't feel like dancing after that, instead they quieted down and peered at the door until Dylan shot up to his feet. "That was the Herald of Andraste!" With a cacophony of hushed whispers and surreptitious looks at me for permission, the children, just as quickly as I had entered, were now bounding down the hallway to get another glimpse at the famed Vashoth Herald, leaving Zither and I alone.

"Ah children, so easily are they distracted." Zither chuckled as his fingers continued to strum his lute.

"Thankfully too. I'm exhausted." I flopped onto one of the beds in the room. Not entirely because of my physical state This was the first time Zither and I were alone in a room since Orlais and self conscious didn't even begin to describe what I felt. I hadn't actually expected to encounter him or Vivienne here. Truthfully I figured the next time I'd see them would be Haven, at least with Vivienne. Zither was a regular agent so I had doubted I'd ever get to see him.

Clearly that wasn't the case. And this was a problem because even without the effect of whatever magic he had used that night and my apparent inebriation and weakness thanks to a vision, I still felt the attraction. Even more so because he was so good with children. The thought left a sour taste in my mouth and salt water stains on the blanket, so I pushed it away from my mind.

"Shall I play you a lullaby?" Zither suggested, his footsteps light as he drew closer to my prone form. He tinkered and plucked no particular tune on his lute. I turned to peek at him, curious but he paused. "My lady, are you well?"

No. Audacity's tone reverberated inside my head and to my chagrin, I nearly said it with her. "Yes," I croaked and swiped my face quickly and sat up.

Zither's gaze was not convinced. His fingers stilled, the magic he normally infused his music with faded. He rested the lute against the wall and carefully stepped toward me. His mask slipping off and he paused hovering on the bed, silently asking if he could sit.

I squinted, unsure if I should let him given what I remember of the last time we were alone for an extended period of time. But it was either be tempted into his arms or be smacked around by Cassandra in a vain hope that I would learn to dodge and block better without the use of magic.

I glanced at the door. Did I really want to train?

My muscles groaned and ached at the thought of it. It was resounding no so I stayed in the room, clinging to the bed and became dead weight on it. I even shifted a tad to allow Zither room to sit next to me.

…

 _On a bed._

Alarm bells sounded in my head.

 _How very forward of you._ Audacity crooned.

This is your doing! I mentally shouted at her as I made to get off the bed but groaned as my back ached and my knees trembled, protesting getting up. Even my fingers twitched angrily at me.

 _I did no such thing._

I wouldn't normally be in a room with a man I barely know! I grit my teeth.

 _No. You'd instead be in a garden with one, bare chested._ Came her teasing tones.

As if that wasn't your doing as well! I verbally growled my anger.

Zither watched me with a confused expression. His face bare and exposed to me, displaying all his emotions. Wasn't it rude for a performer to remove his mask? Or was it something else? "My lady?" He queried, concern etched between his perfectly shaped brows and his goateed face drew closer as he leaned toward me.

I couldn't draw my eyes from his. There was that spark again, even as I perched to move off the bed. There was something there between us and it was driving me mad not being able to figure out what or where it came from. The only place it could have come from was Audacity. Her very nature suggested-

 _I can put no thought into your head._

Then why do I think he's so yummy. Why is it that this one mage can inspire such a response from me?

 _I encourage what you already feel._

What I feel?

 _I bolster your nerves._

She made me confident?

 _No_. Her laugh made me grit my teeth. _Audacious_.

"My lady?" Zither called sharper snapping my attention to him and away from the mental argument. "Are you well?" He asked again, this time reaching to touch my forehead. His magic surged through me and I barely had the time to quell the moan as my frame jerked away from him in a flurry. The unintentional fade step had me pinned against the wall panting.

Was I? I groaned as I trembled and gripped the wall, pressing my back against it and stared at Zither. He looked shocked and then regretful. Emotions flitting across his eyes and his outstretched hand drew back as he climbed off the bed.

"I apologize I did not intend to be so forward-"

 _You've offended him._

"No that's not it!" I blurted out. Zither froze, peering at me curiously.

What do I do? I asked the spirit inside me.

 _Do as you wish. Hold nothing back_

"You retreat from me. I can see the terror. I know our meeting in Val Royeaux was..." Zither's brows furrowed, unaccustomed to the apparent rejection as he struggled to find words.

"I wasn't scared of you. Still not. I was more scared of what I was feeling." I admitted and shakily stepped toward him, licking my lips. I was curious.

 _Curiosity killed the cat..._

But satisfaction brought it back. The spirit inside me and I echoed each other. At least Audacity and I were in tune to that.

"And now?"

"I'm not scared anymore."

"I find that hard to believe." He muttered as he stared at me, pinning me with a look that sent shivers down my spine.

"Well...I guess I'll have to convince you." I stepped to him and he stepped back. My hand reached for his shoulder but he snatched my hand, gripping it tightly but before he could say anything I pounced, pushing my lips against his hoping I would feel overwhelmed again as my magic flared and his engulfed me in response. My muscles tense in anticipation for the flurry of magical power surrounding us as I moaned against him, his gloved hands slid up my back, dragging my tunic up and slipping his fingers up my spine. This time I was prepared for pulsing of inferno and winter heating and cooling my skin and i had my own response.

With the crackle of energy I charged him with a static charge, concentrating as I directed the electricity down to the base of his spine. At first I wanted to just jolt him a bit, tease but his whole body twitched against me and suddenly something was _very_ hard and pressing against me.

"Maker _Fuck_!" he grunted as his hips jutted into mine and I stumbled back away from him and panted, putting the bed between us. He hastily grabbed the waist of his trousers and released a haggard breath as he stared down at me through stray strands of black hair.

"Good?" I asked, only marginally worried I had hurt him but Zither gave a low growl and with a flurry of snowflakes of his fade step I was pushed against the wall and his mouth was on my neck. His bare fingers now pressing into the skin of my heated flesh to unbearable temperatures until he switched to winter and had me squirming.

The pull and swirling of the fade around us was heady and thick, yet it filled me and energized me. I twitched with each surge of magical power Zither exerted. It flowed into me, rippling beneath my skin and inside me. I was drunk off the excess magic around us. It enhanced every sensory explosion the bard pressed into me with his fingers, trailing down and down my back. I nearly lost myself but I shook my head, clearing my head. With a minor arcane blast, I pushed Zither off me and he went stumbling back, confused until the back of his knees hit the bed and I gave him one final push before sliding over his body.

Sex and magic was _intoxicating_.

It wasn't affection but pure unadulterated lust that drove me to grind my hips into his. Our hands pulling our garments down and exposed enough where what we wanted, what we needed could compact. It was a shame I couldn't feel more of his hands against me, on my breast to tease with that searing heat and frigid cold magic but I was suddenly taut. The tether of my release wound tight and it didn't take much.

Maybe that was how Zither had planned it, but he also didn't last quite so long. Whether it was by my hands or by necessity I didn't know, but we came down panting, Zither with a confident smirk and me absolutely flabbergasted. It usually took me _much_ longer to get there yet this bard mage got me there after just a few flickering touches of magic.

Some time later, as I re-dressed myself, Audacity made her presence known again.

 _Don't you just feel better?_

I had to admit... I did. My curiosity sated, my pleasures tampered down, and my nerves soothed. The lingering displacement I felt was all but gone. Perhaps this is what I needed.

With my hair a mess, I slipped on what dubbed civilian clothes, aka my single blue skirted dress. I was more calmed down than I'd been in the weeks that it had taken to travel back this way. Zither's hand slipped around me from his prone position on the bed, magic flaring as he pressed to my abdomen.

I didn't have to ask what he was doing because I knew that spell. I'd been taught it by Yvette so long ago and had used it on myself time and time again. Clearly it wasn't one hundred percent accurate. Still the familiar pull and yank of the fade inside of me was odd coming from someone else.

Then there was a flush of fluids out of me and I grunted. I didn't remember that part of the spell. I turned to Zither, "What did you do?" I rasped, my voice still recovering from our rather vigorous and hasty activity.

Zither froze and eyed me. "Well I'm always careful to ensure the ladies whom warm my bedsheets are taken care of. No need to worry about... unexpected-"

"Yes but that last part... I've performed that spell but I've never had to... do that." I motioned the flushing, even as I felt it leak out of me. I waddled up and wiped away the evidence.

Zither's brows rose. "The expelling of fluids is just an assurance. The magic can only do so much after all, removal of our mixed excretions aids in keeping one from developing a fetus and aids in preventing infections-" I tuned him out, blinking.

Would that have helped? Would it have prevented... I gulped at the thought, my eyes closing. No. I shouldn't think on that.

"-Not that I wouldn't one day want a child of my own but considering the dire state of Thedas as it is, what with a hole in the sky... my upcoming tour and well" Zither was full blown panicking as he tried to explain why a child would not be preferable. I sniffed and blinked wide eyed at him. "Not that you wouldn't be a lovely woman to-"

"Zither. I don't want children either." I interrupted.

"Are you certain, you appeared quite distressed." Zither treaded carefully.

"Ah... yes. Sorry I was just thinking of something else. No need to worry." I muttered and raked my fingers through my hair as the bard watched me closely. "But this was actually really fun." I forced a grin, and glanced at him over my shoulder. "Maybe _next time_ I'll get you off using Arcane magic." I cracked a grin and quickly slipped out of the room before he could respond.

"Next time?!" I heard his shocked response before he was stumbling after me but I was already down the stairs. My muscles were still sore and I bit my tongue to keep from groaning but I managed to make it down the stairs to see Kost with at least two children hanging off his horns as he spoke to bewildered scouts, but Kost was completely unfazed and resigned to the fate of the giggling children as they pulled themselves up to his shoulders and then dropped. The other children whispered to each other and made motions about a different kind of Qunari they had met with wider horns. The term Iron Bull was thrown around quite a bit and i had to smirk.

Whatever had happened in my absence, was clearly more entertaining as I spied Vivienne giving the Herald a disapproving look. Herve was nowhere to be seen but I did spy a rather large and dearly missed warrior talking- signing with Frail.

"Brig!" I squealed and bounded after him, he turned as I slowed but he snatched me up and gave me a tight hug before setting me down just in time for Zither to make his presence known. The only ones who acknowledged him was Kost, who sent a withering glare his way and Brig rolled his eyes at him.

"What was that?" I signed.

"The great Zither has joined us." Brig signed but added another roll of his eyes to indicate his sarcasm.

"Zither... is that the mage who you-" Frail added with his own signing. I stopped him, slapping his hands. He grinned wickedly and quickly signed something to Brig but I stopped him.

"Mercy?" Brig questioned as my cheeks flushed, just in time as Zither slithered up next to me and peaked at our hands. Apparently he was used to the method in which Brig communicated but it didn't look like he could understand it.

"My dear Lady Mercy, you left your bodice a tad too loose. Shall I fix it for you?" He whispered lowly into my ear.

Frail cackled while Brig groaned and ran a hand down his face. "You didn't?!" the large mute signed.

"Maybeeee..." I muttered. Zither took this as an invitation to tighten my bodice but I smacked his hands away. "Not to you." I hissed at the bard and he gave me a smirk.

"No? Ah pity, and only five minutes earlier you were-"

"Zither." Cam the cool and even response of Vivienne who approached our little corner. Her voice alone made Zither freeze and shrink away as the Iron Lady gave me a critical once over. My hands twitched toward my hair but I stopped when her gaze drew toward the cracked nature of my nails and I once again, felt terribly under dressed to be in her presence. "Lady Mercedes, I hope you rested well."

"Ah... yes?" Though there hadn't been much resting.

"As I understand, Seeker Cassandra has been teaching you the finer points of non-magical defense." Her steely eyes raked over my slightly mussed skirt and I quelled the urge to straighten it and stood underneath her gaze. Sometime in the last two minutes, Brig, Frail, and Zither had managed to escape as I had been the person Madame Vivienne was interested in.

"Yes?" Her gaze hardened at my upspeak and I swallowed. "Yes.. I yes she is. Solas is supposed to be teaching me magic." She gave a light tittering laugh at that.

"The dreadful apostate? No no, you're the Herald's favored, you must be properly trained while under the public scrutiny. I've decided, for your own good of course, that I will instruct you as any Senior Enchanter of a Circle would. You need a proper magical instruction as you lack the necessary tools and foundation to keep your magic, by extension yourself, in control,"

I wanted to smirk at _dread_ ful but I short circuited at a different word. "I'm sorry, I'm the Herald's what?" I gaped and then shook myself. "Wait... I'm in control of my magic and myself!"

Her unconvinced gaze leveled with me and then she flicked toward Zither who was strumming a tune on his lute much to Brig's chagrin and Frail's delight and then she once again took in my appearance. I wanted to glower, I really did but you try being looked at by Madame Vivienne. It's nerve-wracking, especially when you could remember the frigid breeze and cracking ice as she killed the Marquis in the middle of her salon. _You do not fuck with Madame Vivienne._

So I resigned myself to whatever she had planned for me.

* * *

Roughly twenty-five different versions of this chapter written later, and over two months later, I give you this monstrosity. I just needed to get this part done and out of the way. I left the end there because I couldn't stand not posting this chapter up. I also hit a serious writer's block in the midst of those two months so I took a break from Dragon Age and have been on this like Marvel splurge. Thankfully not writing anything and mostly consuming MCU stories. But anyway, back to my one true love, Dragon Age~

Been reading a lot of other MCIT stories and the one common denominator is that the magical instructor for the Mage!OC is almost always either Solas or Dorian and I wanted to break out of that. Plus there is the whole animosity between Solas and Audacity right now, so Mercy furthering her magical knowledge with an elvhen God-notreally- is probably a bad idea. And I do have plans for Vivienne. Lovely adorable plans of Vivienne and Mercy bonding, and Mercy moving past her fear of the Iron Lady.

Anyway, let me know what you think.

 **5 Coloured Walker:** Lol. Wood or yellow allergy. No no. But her abilities come with some interesting drawbacks, as displayed already. Nosebleeds, headaches migraines, and seizures. As she gets around more and more mages some other interesting side effects are going to show. Mum's the word though. Thanks for the nitpicks btw! I always seem to not catch them all I swear. I appreciate it!

 **METALHELLSPWN:** Oh man... DS3... shit. That would be hell on Thedas. That's certainly a crossover I would read. Can you imagine the utter badassery of the Chosen Undead while in Thedas? I'm salivating at the thought. I don't know enough about the lore of DS so I don't think I would be able to do it but maaaan I hope someone picks that up.

 **Mental Verin:** You might be surprised at the very little mischief Mercy gets up to with the Mages. That particular mission goes almost exactly as it does in game. - Well actually maybe the end result is the same but the way it gets there... hmmm bit spoilery but Mercy's visions cause her some interesting problems.

 **GreaterGoodIreland:** It's funny you say that because I was considering on including more TES but I think one dragon shout is more than enough to display how much of a gamer-nerd Mercy is. I think I'll add a few other attacks form other games but they won't be staples. Instead they will be one-offs.


	76. The Suffering: An Update

Alright, this kills me to have to write this but it's time. I've been holding off on posting a major update to this fic for a long time for many reasons. Primarily it's because last chapter I didn't even want to post because I wasn't completely satisfied with it. Even less so because it failed my usual standards for a chapter but I posted it anyway and you guys seemed to like it. And I appreciate it, I really do but i _know_ I can do better. I know I can write better for you guys, and I know I can provide much better content.

So for the last 4-5 months, heck I would say since even back in October of 2015 (If you've read my notes you know I've mentioned this several times by now) I've been going back and forth on the idea of a Re-write. One of the large reasons I kept telling myself not to is because I feared I would lose a lot of the light-heartedness and general fun of Mercy's story. Things like the jokes, the innuendos, the general good humor and happy fluff bits. I kept thinking to myself "No don't do it, you'll lose everything you loved about writing the story."

I wasn't wrong... _at first_.

I tried several times to begin a re-write since October and it fell flat to me every time. It was not what I wanted and not very good of a read. I know because I put it down and left it for two months before reading what I had re-written. I hated every word of it. It was dull, boring, flat and just...no. It was basically a re-telling of what I had already written with just a little more detail.

This happened at least three different times since October. Each time it just left me disappointed.

I decided to try something different, I changed my tactics in how I approached it. I re-read the entire original work from start to finish over a dozen times and I made myself a list of everything I would change, update, or word a bit differently if I had the time.

It was a very long list but it wasn't a completely unreasonable task to do. The majority of the things I wanted to change were the inconsistencies. Minor inconsistencies but there were enough of them that it drove me crazy. And I never got the chance to fully explore the loveable and very interesting cast of the Blades of Hessarian. There were plot holes, things weren't explained for why things happened. I ended up going back to all these little projects I wrote when I was posting fairly frequently about the other characters. Little drabbles of backstories for all these characters and practices for the canon characters. I started extending this list to include all these things I wrote. Because while they weren't all plot thick to the main story they did explain things and I feel like I left you guys out of that. You guys were missing key information to put some of the reveals together.

I ended up with a new plan for the re-write, only it wasn't _just_ a rewrite it was a retconn as well. I mean full on rework and expansion of every character from the Blades of Hessarian, to our very dearly cuddly Kost the Herald of Andraste, and to the canon characters, to Frail, to Brig, to Alon, to Mercy, to Zither… to even Remy from my companion story Maker Damned (because his story is entwined with this one but not necessary to read to understand his character when we get to that part). So I had a plan, and then I made an outline.

Now because I'm a Glutton for my own personal suffering, frustration, and general instability of my sanity, I have worked out every little inconsistency, and every change I wanted to make in a 20 page (continuing to expand) single space outline that has it plotted by the date from 9:39 to 9:44. Yes, I added a whole bloody year to the start of the story. A whole year _before_ Inquisition even begins.

Welcome to my own personal level of self-inflicted suffering.

If I wasn't completely insane enough, I even created a little calendar to help me out and I have a map of Thedas printed out with major stops thumbtacked on my outline and roughly the amount of time it would take the party to reach these stops and the general area including possible delays for weather, rifts, bandits, and general mucking about etc. I went full throttle and made this like I'm Game Mastering a Dragon Age Tabletop RPG campaign. Which I'm really good at DMing if I say so myself and this is why I think this rewrite will work this time because that's how I approached it.

Basically the entire thing is extensive, it's horrifying and disgustingly detailed but it took me ages to do it and so I'm here... at this point in time with the first fifteen chapters re-written/retconned and in the process of being sent to several individuals who are not exactly official beta-readers but bless each of their hearts for helping me with this insane task.

Now because these are the chapters I am damn sure I will not be changing any of the content in the next few months because I've agonized over these three - well four if I'm to be honest but the forth needs at least five more look overs - I bring you the first three chapters of the Maker Have Mercy Retcon/Rewrite From Hell called " **Mercy of the Masters**." It has it's own new work and I have NO IDEA how many chapters it will be. Again I am a glutton for my own personal suffering.

Please leave complaints, opinions, theories on what will change, and well wishes in a review _please_. Feel free to tell me I am insane and have put far too much effort into fanfiction. The Maker knows I've told myself this too many times the last year.

PS: I'm going to keep this work up because I don't like the idea of simply deleting it and removing it's existence. And it will show as a testament to how far I've come and how far ANY of you can go if you work on it and we support each other. Because honestly I've only ever gotten this far in the story because of you guys. You were the support, you were there with the kudos and comments and you really helped me keep going. Which is why I want to do better for you guys. Seriously thank you all so so much.

I want to especially thank everyone that has been with this story since day one, week one, month one, and everyone who started reading and joined for the ride. Every single one of you. I mean like WOW you guys are awesome. This community is AWESOME. I love you all.


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